Name: Jeanette Louise Ray
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: October 04, 1965
Location Last Seen: Napa, Napa County, California
Date of Birth: September 21, 1956
Age: 9 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 4'0"
Weight: 80 lbs
Hair Color: Brown, shoulder length, curly
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Bandage under the right side of her jaw from a recent surgery
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown
Clothing: Orange jumper; corduroy coat; blue knee high socks; light buff suede shoes
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Carrying a brown lunch bag with her name on it containing a bologna sandwich and an apple
Jeanette was last seen with her seven year old sister, Renay Ray, on the morning of Monday, October 4th, 1965 in Napa, California. Their father claimed he had dropped the pair off in front of Westwood Elementary School at 8:30 am but they never arrived for their classes.
On October 10, Renay's body was found at Schooner Gulch State Beach in Mendocino County by a family looking for seaweed. Her body was at the bottom of a 90-foot cliff, among some rocks, where the tide washes in and out. Her cause of death was asphyxiation.
Their father, Claude Ray Jr., was arrested the same day Renay's body was found. On January 27, 1966, he was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Renay and received a life sentence. He committed suicide in 1983. Jeanette is believed to have met the same fate as her sister. Ray is also the suspect in the unsolved murder of 5-year-old Doreen Heskett.
Jeanette's remains have yet to be recovered.
Agency Name: Napa Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Det. Tyler Olson
Agency Phone Number: 707-257-9223
Agency E-Mail: PDAdmin@cityofnapa.org
Agency Case Number: NPD24001170
NamUs Case Number: 83274
NamUs
The Napa Valley Register - Oct. 6, 1965
Crime Magazine - Dec. 4, 2014
Added: 03/21/2024; Last Updated: 03/21/2024 - By: hb
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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