Who Took Our Dad? The Abduction of Ray Wright | Full Episode + Post Mortem | Forensic Files

[Music] The Disappearance of Ray Wright was a complete mystery there was no explanation of why
he was gone the first real break is when you're Uncle Dean went to your father's house
and found an intruder in the house did it strike you all as okay that seems too coincidental our dad is missing and
here's a guy in his house AB yeah 100% because it was just it was scary so Ray Wright has been missing since
Friday when he failed to show up for a meeting at work this case was a series of mysteries you have a Am Pm soda cup
just like you would pick up at the gas station the soda cup was the one piece of evidence left by the burglar at the
victim's residence in which we get some key forensic evidence a white man and then that evidence is linked to a car
wreck and as ground units arrived it was like the scene uh out of a [Music] movie inside that van is just a treasure
Trove of evidence a rain jacket covered in blood and a letter I hand delivered you your
revenge now it's time to pay me all that added up to someone's got Ray I knew something bad was happening
to him I felt it it was weeks to months to then years without really knowing right years of
not knowing yeah throughout the case it was clear that many of the Witnesses were afraid to come forward because I'm
terrified of them all of them you guys are going to get me killed like going to help you I have to go you're going going
help you're going to get me killed 100% of the truth what happened to Ray I don't know what happened to Ray I don't
know I don't know what happened to Ray officers in the family are left with essentially a person that has vanished
off the face of the Earth [Music] [Music] Dean Wright was nervous where's Ray it
was Saturday morning January 13th 2018 in Sacramento California I just wanted to know where Ry is Dean hadn't heard
from his younger brother Ry in two days highly unusual for brothers who spoke every day without fail all of a sudden
middle of January there's just nothing nothing no phone calls no texts no social media posts nothing Ray Wright 55
had Miss work no one had seen or heard from him including his daughters Haley and Kennedy
my sister called me and she was like Hey like have you heard from Dad like no one's heard from him I immediately hung
up and called him and I called and I called and I called straight to voicemail every time so I was getting
increasingly concerned Dean had repeatedly checked his brother's house in Rockland a
Sacramento suburb and the shop Ray rented in Rio Linda for his work as a master Carpenter nothing seemed unusual
except The Silence of Rey's absence and you didn't see his truck no his truck was not there you're panicked
at this point right I think the first couple of days was when it really started to get real
and serious I just felt really powerless over the situation and it was really scary it was the worst thing that could
have ever happened Ray's ex-wife Peggy Wright was also up set I knew right away when he was out of touch that there was
something wrong although they were no longer married Peggy still considered Ry to be
the love of her life was he romantic oh God he was super romantic they married in June
1994 and Ry became an instant dad to stepdaughter Haley then 3 years old he was meant to be a father and he was so
good with her he was always there for me first male role model and he always did
everything to the fullest Along Came Kennedy nearly 3 years later she says her father a loving Hands-On dad would
never just up and disappear he was like a te- ball dad um and he would like take me like
fishing soccer dad swim meets he could do it all yeah he could do it all he was good at
everything but after several good years Peggy says the couple found themselves drifting apart he was so busy working I
was busy parenting and I also worked they divorced in 2001 Ry remarried and divorced again in 2009 I think it was
the end of his second marriage that kind of put him over the edge and that's when
he fell off the wagon at almost 20 years sober Ray Wright a recovering alcoholic
had stayed sober for most of his adult life but when he went missing Peggy worried he was in trouble you think oh
gosh maybe you know he had a set back or something he was sober during your marriage oh yeah it was Ray's relapse
after his second marriage that sparked a downward spiral exploding One Night in November 2011 when Ry got in a car and
drove drunk he slammed head on into a vehicle severely injuring a husband and wife Ray then 49 was convicted of felony
DUI and sentenced to 18 months in jail I think that was Rock Bottom for him yeah rock bottom was getting in this
devastating accident yeah and hurting people in the midst of it Ray immediately stopped drinking rejoined
Alcoholics Anonymous and checked in with his sponsor every day I think the ray after that time was even better than the
ray prior to that time because he wanted to be in the best version of Ray Wright
that he could be just weeks before he went missing this is the last Thanksgiving and Ray spent Thanksgiving
and Christmas with his growing family celebrations that included Ray's first granddaughter Ashton that's ashon when
she was really small oh I love that proud mom Haley was thrilled for her dad he was super excited he built her a
custom crib he loved being a grandpa and she loved Grandpa Ray Ray was at such a
great spot in his life he had it all and then he disappeared by Saturday afternoon on January 13th
more than 48 hours had passed without a single sign of Ray Dean Wright went back
to his brother's house yet again knocked on the door then let himself in said hello hello and immediately I smelled
marijuana smoke and that's when I knew this is completely wrong cuz he didn't like that
and I'm getting increasingly tense about it so as I walked forward I saw a cup and that had not been there I took
another step and a half that's when a back door burst open and I guy yell at me get out of here and
I said who are you where's Ray the man took a step toward Dean he says then turned away and ran out the back door I
immediately called 911 Rockland Police arrived Dean shaken filed a missing person's report and
pointed to the soda cup on the kitchen counter explaining that the Intruder must have left it the cup is full of Ice
uh it's full of soda Sacramento County prosecutor Matt Chisum it has a lid and a straw and it's sweating so it's fresh
when did you start to fear the worst Dean then right then it was crushing and you suspected Foul Play
yes [Music] [Music] Ray Wright much admired and loved by friends and family described as generous
creative and vibrant had seemingly vanished with the snap of a finger no one has any leads as to where he is or
what happened to him it was the frightening home invasion just two days after Ry had disappeared
that seemed too coincidental says prosecutor match Chisum I think that raised everyone's concern to a different
level as days go by it becomes more suspicious Rockland Police Sergeant Zack Lewis briefly considered raise history
of alcohol abuse but dismissed the possibility of a relapse we checked his bank accounts there was no activity on
his bank his vehicle had disappeared off of license plate readers we couldn't find his vehicle anymore his phone
wasn't working all those things led us to believe that it was more than just him not calling family members back and
drinking raise family immediately organized a search we all met up at a Target parking lot and passed out flyers
and then we just spread out and went in all different directions we were doing everything we could and exhausting
everything that we could do the resounding question for the Wright family echoing at all hours of
the day and night where was Ray vanish Without a Trace he was last seen a week ago today he was driving a white Ford F
10 days after his disappearance police discovered Ray's abandoned pickup truck in a North Highlands apartment complex
in this really high crime area the radio and license plates had been stripped for
police finding Ray's vehicle was a break in the case for Haley it was just heartbreaking that was the first real
piece of evidence I was like okay we know something about happened to him Rockland PD uh seized the car and
collaborated with the FBI to have it processed for trace evidence in the back of the truck brown stains barely visible
on black carpet liner were later determined to be human blood that was tested for DNA against Ray wri's
toothbrushes since we don't have a body and it was a match [Applause] 16 days after Ray's disappearance
something happened that would shift the investigation into overdrive OCC it all began with a
harrowing high-speed police chase through Sacramento it was a very dangerous high-speed chase speeds of up to 100
mph there was a terrible accident at the end of that Pursuit put your head open the door anybody in the car with you
this is one of those chases that you watch on TV and it's like wo Yes except in this case the guy who was responsible
for that is much more dangerous than we even know the driver pinned inside the vehicle with a broken leg was unable to
[Applause] move California Highway Patrol officers cuffed the driver who appeared to be
intoxicated the man's name Victor gray he had problems with the law before and police arrested him this time for felony
evasion and DUI he's taken to a hospital for treatment and uh is under guard and is
then booked in the Sacramento County Jail it was Gray's expired registration with current registration sticker tabs
that caught the attention of a police officer like a stolen vehicle is that what they're thinking possibly or
somebody stole a registration Tab and just stuck it on their license we a DMV record search showed the registration
tab actually belonged to a 2016 Ford pickup truck that had recently been reported missing along with its owner
Raymond Wright the registration tab is actually Ray wri's registration tag off of his license plate and so that that's
the first connection that they are able to make between Victor gray and Ray Wright's
disappearance and then 3 months after Ray's disappearance another turning point in the
case investigators got a DNA hit off that soda straw in the cup left behind by the fleeing Intruder who finally had
a name and it's one the police already knew Victor gray so now we have two pieces of
evidence linking him to Ray wri the DNA match placed Victor gray inside Ray's home and at the center of the expanding
investigation turned out things were about to get a lot worse for gray because his wrecked smoking van was a
Smoking Gun here you've got a treasure Trove of evidence where was all of this found all this was located in the
vehicle that uh Victor gray was driving in the van's cluttered cargo area Rockland PD and FBI investigators
unraveled a black plastic tarp inside disturbing evidence deepened the ray rri mystery the Hat you pull that hat out
Ray right design it was like a holy moment this is huge for us the yellow rain jacket that is Ray wri's jacket and
what was found on that his DNA U was found on that jacket the glasses glasses yeah and they're just broke into a bunch
of pieces his wallet which it appeared they tried to burn a cell phone that's clearly been destroyed like somebody
took a hammer to it right is that what it looked like that's what it looked like yes we had to run the serial number
on the back and it was registered to Ray wri's cell phone carrier we now were definitely able to tie Victor gray to
Ray Wright going missing but police had not found Rey there was still a sliver of hope it was just really hard being
patient it's still a hot investigation there's still uh many details left to figure out perhaps none more significant
than Victor Gray's cell phone it wasn't just Ray's phone in the van Victor gra was there too the violent Collision
ending the police chase sent gray self phone sliding underneath the van center console the FBI found that and was able
to process it for its contents and inside that cell phone was also a treasure Trove of evidence astonishingly
there was a photo of a handwritten three-page letter prosecutors say from Victor gray to someone named Bob and at
this point we don't know who Bob is it was dated January 27th the same day as Gray's ill-fated
Chase with police and it's clear that Victor has grievances with Bob and the Grievances stem about not
being paid for delivering the dude to you those are his words the dude yeah I hand delivered you
your revenge now it's time to pay me [Music] [Applause] let's talk about what was found in that
phone text messages that seem to refer to Ray Wright's possible kidnapping at that point right yes it took months but
investigators eventually dug up a gold mine of evidence from Victor Gray's cell phone there was a text conversation with
a woman who appeared to be working as a lookout for Mr Gray raise out front of the shop texted
the woman California Katie in a series of misspelled texts it was 9:50 a.m. January 11th 2018
yes I'm watching out front for anything tracing California Katie's number found in Gray's cell phone police
identified her as Katie Bernard the text messages with ktie Bernard were invaluable those messages were sent the
very morning Ray Wright went missing last seen at his Workshop they revealed a plan of sorts says pler County
district attorney investigator Ashley englefield Ray W's house probably about 30 or 40 minutes east from here mhm
investigator englefield showed us Ray Wright's former Workshop in Rio Linda and its close proximity to a neighbor
Katie Bernard she happened to be living in a trailer next to Ray wri's cabinet shop so that trailer right there is
where Katie Bernard was staying that morning englefield believes Katie Bernard was watching Ray's Workshop from
just yards away she was in a prime spot to be a source of intelligence for Victor Gray she's looking out that
window and she's looking at the shop so where do we think Victor gray is on that
morning during the course of that text conversation we think Victor is out there on the road and he's waiting for
the text from Katie the one that would tell him when Ray Wright was alone at his shop it came just before 10
a.m. just you and him hun a few hours later Ray Wright would [Music] disappear I right there we'll be right
with you okay okay englefield brought in Katie Bernard for questioning in October
2018 Ray Wright had been missing for nearly 300 days if we don't have reasons for why you did certain things okay and
you lie to us about doing the things we know you did it makes you look like a killer okay are you a killer no Katy
Bernard would grudgingly become a pivotal witness what did Katie Bernard think she was doing this all for she
told us that she was only involved because she thought that Victor gray wanted to steal Rayman wri's truck this
wasn't about RIS truck this doesn't start and end with Victor gray it starts with somebody else you
about to say it two Bob Katie knew the key players including the mysterious Bob named in that letter who's Bob Bob is my
boyfriend what's Bob name Bob Manor Robert Bobby Manor and so what's the story then what's the whole back story
while we in a car accident when Ray Wright drove drunk 6 years earlier in November
2011 the married couple he struck was Robert Manor and his wife she nearly died and Manor suffered multiple broken
bones that left him with a permanent limp and lingering pain he was reminded about it on a daily basis from his
injuries and he could never let it go after raised DUI conviction He was ordered to pay more than
$275,000 in restitution to Manor and his wife he had occasionally made payments but not very
much police say Robert Manor was not a man to stiff he was a feared methampetamine
dealer in North Sacramento authorities say who had done time for assault and selling drugs armed with a gun and
Witnesses told police that Manor was enraged and wanted revenge against Ray Wright that gives you a motive right the
money and the Revenge mostly a few months before Ry went missing in a staggering
coincidence police believed that Manor while visiting Katie just happened to see the man who had smashed into to him
driving drunk years ago the man he blamed for shattering his life he came over one day and Ra was
there Ray Wright was working in his shop about 30 ft away that might have been the moment
englefield says when Manor lit the fuse igniting his plot for Revenge that had smoldered for
years truck is gone yes and Ray been missing yes Katie told police when she heard the news that Ry was missing she
realized this wasn't just about stealing his truck I'm freaking out why because like it's obvious you know like that
what that he's been taken or hurt or something the cop tell Victor and Bob Katie says Victor
gray later told her that morning armed with a gun he approached Ray Wright and punched him I think he then somehow
secured Ray's hands and he was able to put Ry into his own truck then englefield says Victor gray drove Ray's
truck with a bloodied Ray wri in the back to Manor's house a few miles away I don't know what they did with Ray afraid
she might be implicated in Ray Wright's disappearance Katy told investigators she confronted Robert
Manor she asked him about whether he killed Ray Wright and he tells her that he did Manor then grabbed her around the
neck choked her and told her never to speak about this again according to Chisum Manor's
chilling admission came in just three words he says I got him I got him I got him we heard that quote from Mr Manor
from multiple wh Witnesses I didn't do anything I'm not saying you did like Tessa Trimble I'm
not involved in it I'm not saying that you are in an audio only police interview Ashley englefield spoke to
Tessa a massage therapist who had treated Robert manner's injuries from the accident she says they eventually
became romantically involved Tessa was very hesitant to speak initially and she was also very afraid of Bobby you're
going to get me killed I have to go I don't I get here it would take some time but Tessa began to talk she received a
phone call from Bobby and Bobby had told her hey come over to the house we need to talk according to her what she
thought at the time was that they were going to talk about their relationship but when she saw Manor Tessa says there
was something else on his mind what did he talk to you about he told me he took care of whatever
something he was trying to take care of for a long time he didn't give me details he just told
me that he took care of he felt good about now when he said that who do you think he was talking about talking out
Ray R why would you think he was talking about Ray R because he had he had a problem with
that guy he he mentioned on numerous occasions he wanted to get that guy it sounded to me like one of the
only persons that Bobby could tell about this was Tessa and and so he did Bobby telling you what he got him
m is that what he said I got him yeah everyone knew that Manor was talking about Ray Wright and then the
first time they see him after The Disappearance see Manor he says I got him in March 2021 prosecutors charged
Robert Manor and Victor gray with the kidnapping and murder of Ray Wright even though police had yet to find Ry both
men pleaded not guilty Manor facing a life sentence without parole can you hear me Mr Manor
had a very different story to tell I'm innocent you had nothing to do with the murder of Ray R nothing to do with it
[Music] it was still a missing person but we all assumed it was a homicide did they tell you at any point
we believe your brother is dead yes may be three and a half years in during those agonizing years Ray
wri's family one by one eventually came to the same conclusion [Music] Ry was no longer
alive and their grief was compounded by not having his body to bury that's definitely still a source of
pain for us there was no laying him to rest like he doesn't get the send away that he
deserves prosecutor matchism hoped to provide the family A measure of Justice by convicting Robert Manor and Victor
Gray approaching trial chism's crucial concern was The credibility of his Witnesses you've got witnesses who have
history of drugs and drug use does that create a complication with the jury yes all these Witnesses had significant
credibility issues including another witness who had come forward Victor Gray's cellmate
Chris Mitchell well I started off talking to him and I'm real comfortable talking to
him in an audio only interview Mitchell says Victor gray told him about Ray Wes tortured Final hours in Bob Manor's
house what did gray tell you he delivered dude to Bobby alive though Mitchell claims Victor gray told
him there was plastic sheeting laying on the floor plastic everywhere according to Mitchell gray said Manor
had Ray Wright poisoned he poisoned him Mitchell says gray also told him that Manor had Ray's body
dismembered cut the body up did they tell you what they did with it no he didn't tell me none of
that Victor was your accomplice in this kidnapping and murder plot there's no connection whatsoever with me and Victor
before the Robert Manor spoke to us from the Sacramento County Jail they searched my
house they tore the carpet up they did everything like that there was no DNA found well because you put plastic all
over the floor no he was good at covering his tracks he got other people to do the Dirty Work people like Victor
gray says Chisum we find all the evidence of Ray Wright's death in Victor Gray's van the cleanup is done and
Victor gray tells you that on the jail call in a jailhouse visit with his wife after the high-speed chase with police
Victor gray made a powerful admission says Chisum he almost kind of confesses to his wife and brings his wife into the
no clean up the scene or whatever I to clean up you know what I mean he said I had to clean up the
scene as if he is almost bitter about it such a m but he played me we believe that
Victor was supposed to be paid $10,000 he was pissed off because he didn't get paid by B that's why
prosecutors believe Victor gray wrote the three-page letter found on his cell phone in it he said I'm done waiting and
need a fat package today meaning the money gray believed he was owed he told Bob Manor to take care of him
because he had hand delivered you your revenge but Manor never paid Chisum says so Victor gray decided to deliver some
revenge of his own so white Chevy unknown occupant he was on his way to Manor's house with all the rayr evidence
still inside the van according to Chisum that's when police tried pulling gray over had Victor gray been paid then
maybe he's not driving across town with this treasure Trove of evidence in the back of the
van the trial finally began in March 2023 more than 5 years after Raymond Wright went
missing since there was still nobody the case had become a nobody homicide nobody
cases are tough to prove you lose a lot of information by losing the body we developed every single lead possible in
order to prove this case as Chisum fully expected The credibility of his Witnesses came under Relentless fire the
thrust of the defense was these Witnesses are saying whatever the cops want them to say in order to help
themselves I'm terrified of them they're dangerous people they have guns but Katie Bernard who was granted immunity
and never charged with the crime emerged as a star witness as Chism for her damaging testimony about Gray's
involvement and maners admission and it was something that Manor was trying to keep under wraps even though that he
said it to her uh it was something that she was to take to her grave in court Manor and Gray's defense teams zeroed in
on the prosecution's lack of direct physical evidence against Robert Manor and the absence of a
[Music] body I reminded the jury that it' been 1,800 in 89 days and no one on the face of
this Earth had seen Ray Wright and this one was magical like he spent hours on that the trial says Peggy left her
Imagining the unimaginable Ray's final moments it's even worse to find out what it must have been like at the end for
him how scared he must have been he knew what was going to happen after an 8-day trial the jury got the
case I remember like squeezing Haley's hand and like thinking I was going to throw up like while we were waiting for
the verdict what do you make of the evidence against Manor and gray see a timeline of
the investigation at 48 hours.com [Music] how long before you got word there's a
verdict the jury was out about 4 hours it was late afternoon on March 17th 2023 the verdict was
in it was the most gut-wrenching day of my life Robert Manor and Victor gray were
found guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping but it didn't bring him back so it was like it was a Bittersweet
Victory it's Unthinkable that someone would do something like that like you can't imagine that your loved one would
be swept off the Earth like that April 28th the day of reckoning for Manor and gray before hearing their sentence they
heard from Ray Wright's family I said my dad will be in heaven like amongst the Angels like where he belongs and you'll
be in prison for life where you belong will never be the same none of us you just can't imagine how it impacts a
family Manor and gray were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole gray never responded to our request for
an interview but Robert Manor insisted there had been a miscarriage of Justice I did not have anything to do with Ray
wri's disappearance at all Ray wri's body has never been found no where did you bear bury him I I never buried Ray R
I never I never chopped Ray Rite up I never had anything to do with Ray R's disappearance or murder nothing he has a
family that deserves answers they want to know why why did you do this I didn't I did not do this and there was
something else Manor wanted to say he claimed it was Victor gray and Katie Bernard who had plotted to set him up by
kidnapping and killing Ray Wright he come up with this and tried to come and ask me for
money gray and Bernard tried to extort Manor for $20,000 he says a claim that was never raised in court Manor was
making it for the first time during our interview what do you make of that argument wow it it that's a Whopper
right there's no proof of of anything like that in Chism argues it makes much more sense that Manor was The Mastermind
you also have this monster motive Revenge let the evidence speak for itself it's not people that gone on
there said the same exact phrase you know I got him I didn't get no money the remnants of Ray wri's life
these silent Witnesses did speak loud and clear his famous yellow raincoat that he
had had for like 15 years like soaked in blood yeah I think seeing his broken glasses is what that killed us seal the
deal for me Haley says even her young daughter Ashton was overwhelmed by losing Grandpa
Ray she always thought people were going to go missing I caught her singing in the dark songs that she would make up
about where her Grandpa went I hope we did enough for the family until we find the body it's still an
open missing person's case with The Rock Police Department at the end of the day do you
believe Justice was served yes Justice was served it gives this family somewhere to
to start over consumed by Ray disappearance and death for years friends and family
decided it was time to celebrate his life I'm glad you all are here to share these times with us Ry was to me my
first best Emperor ever friend on this day June 17th day 1,983 since he went missing Ray wri's
presence filled the room and the hearts of those who loved him we love you Ray how do you want your dad to be
remembered Haley exactly how he is remembered lovable accountable creative thoughtful I have
never met anyone like my dad like I definitely used this whole event as motivation to do better it's all like a
testament to my dad I hope he's you know piece freeze a bird [Music] [Music] a famous therapist murdered I just was
woken up by screaming and now new evidence and clues reveal the chilling truth how creepy is that crazy creepy
hate har how dangerous it really is for women 48 hours Saturday on CBS and streaming on Paramount
[Music] [Applause] [Music] plus I'm anarie green and this is postmortem in this week's case who took
our dad the Abduction of Ray wri we have an abduction and murder of a family man
a high-speed police chase and a treasure Trove of evidence so here to take us behind the scenes of their reporting is
CBS News correspondent and 48 Hours contributor Natalie Morales and producer Greg fiser uh Natalie welcome back and
Greg welcome thank you emry thanks great to be here how did you first learn about
this case Greg we heard about the conviction so uh we went to the sentencing hearing for the two
defendants Victor gray and Robert Manor just to evaluate whether you know this case would work for 48 hours both men
got life without Pearl for murder and I was struck by two things at that sentencing hearing first of all what a
incredible person Ray Wright must be he had so many friends and family members who not only testified on his behalf but
each one of them explained what a role Ray played in their lives and I thought wow this is somebody who's impressive
who could be worth a story and of course the second thing I noticed was that Robert Manor convicted as The Mastermind
proclaimed his innocence he said he felt sorry for the family but I didn't do it
and I'm going to continue to advocate for my innocence probably in the appeal so after the hearing was was over I went
down to the jail and he was willing to do an interview and uh we called Natalie and and the Clock Was ticking yes
because the concern with that Greg was that he was going to be transferred to then begin serving his sentence and once
he's transferred to prison then you cannot get a camera in California into the prison so for us it was we want to
be able to do this interview with him and hear what he has to say now in his defense after the fact that he's been
sentenced and so with that I kind of started at the end of the story rather than the beginning usually I'm getting
to know the victim and the victim's families getting a sense of who they were and in this case I'm finding out
who this guy Robert Manor is and was who's been convicted of this horrendous crime of kidnapping and killing as well
as Victor gray the other man who is uh is convicted as his accomplice as well in this all right so you started at the
end I want to play a short recap of the episode Ray Wright's daughters Kennedy and Haley were worried it was January of
2018 and for days no one had been able to reach their dad and it was really scary he hadn't shown up at his
carpentry shop didn't answer calls or texts I knew something bad was happening to him and I felt it Ray's Brother Dean
felt it too he headed to his brother's house and looked around and that's when he realized someone was in the house and
it wasn't Ry and I said who are you where's Ry the Intruder fled says prosecutor matchism but left behind this
soda cup on the kitchen counter in which we get some key forensic evidence but investigators did not know who the
Intruder was and then Weeks Later a police officer noticed a suspicious vehicle and gave
chase the white shy unknown it was a very dangerous high-speed chase speeds of up to 100
mph there was a terrible accident at the end of that Pursuit the driver was a man named
Victor gray and in his wrecked van a black tarp filled with evidence Sergeant Zack Lewis this is huge for us the Hat
pull that hat out Ray Wright design the yellow rain jacket that is Ray Wright's jacket his DNA U was found on that
jacket and in Victor Gray's cell phone prosecutors say a photograph of a letter gray wrote to a man named Bob Victor
gray was demanding payment for delivering the dude to Bob those are his words the dude yeah I hand delivered you
your revenge to authorities it sounded like vict had abducted Ry at Bob's request but
they had no idea who Bob was or why he would want revenge this story starts off uh with
one mystery where is Ray Wright but as the events unfold it becomes clear there are several Mysteries here that need to
be uncovered yeah I mean there really was this chain of events and almost coincidences that had to happen of
course where is Ry was mystery number one one but then it was who is this guy Victor gray and why are all of Ray
Wright's belongings in Victor Gray's now beat up burnt out van and then they discover you know on Victor Gray's cell
phone this mysterious letter to this guy named Bob and who is this guy named Bob
yeah there's a lot of talk of Revenge it comes up a lot in the broadcast from your interviews and your reporting could
you speak to the Revenge Bob Manor might have been seeking by murdering Ray Wright yes so if you if you recall in
the episode there was uh an accident that Ray Wright was involved in he was driving Under the Influence back in
November of 2011 and he happened to hit bob Manor and his wife in their car she nearly died he suffered horrific
injuries that to this day he still walks with a limp and apparently has lingering
pain from that and because of that prosecutors said it was something that continued to Fester within him Ray
Wright did end up serving time being under the influence for that incident but he also had to pay more than
$275,000 in restitution to Bob and his wife for the accident however he was unable to make a lot of those payments
so prosecutors said that the motive was plain and simple that Bob Manor was seeking Revenge
from that moment of that car accident and moving forward Bob Manor and Ray Wright would be tragically connected and
sadly inextricably Linked In this horrific way so there's some things about Ray that didn't get into the hour
yeah I mean Greg uncovered a fascinating story about his past so what's interesting is that Ray was this
fabulous Builder he had you know real skill and real talent incredibly cre creative and he and he would design and
build these gorgeous homes um but he was also a musician he was a drummer and uh
when he was young and he was playing around the Sacramento area he gigged with Alanis moriset before she was
famous and they were friends but so some people associated with Alanis morset uh
went into business with Bray and financed developments where he uh Built Homes and during the housing boo
he made a lot of money they were uh you know pretty well off and then when the housing boom went bad uh you know Ray
wasn't making that kind of money anymore he moved back to Sacramento he caused that drunk driving accident and he
wasn't doing so well but he had that history and I think Bob Manor didn't quite understand how Ray's life had
taken a turn and he didn't understand why he wasn't getting some payment from him and that's actually interesting
Victor gray he uh broke into the home and there was one item that was missing and that was a ledger and that ledger
was believed to be accounts you know that Ry kept and so it's believed that you know Victor gray and Bob Manor
didn't believe Ray's story that he didn't have money n brought up Victor Grace so we're going to talk about that
she's another character involved in this plot when we get back we're going to discuss the usual soda cup found at the
crime scene the high-speed chase the Treasure Trove of evidence found in Grace Van and because Rays remains have
never been found is this case really over stay [Music] tuned welcome back so there was an
amazing clue that was left behind at Ray's house Greg can you just talk a little bit more about this evidence and
what it meant for the case when police were called to the home that an intruder had been there the Intruder left behind
a gas station soda cup that he'd been drinking from so police bagged it and ran a DNA check on it but when the DNA
check came back that's when they realized that Victor gray the man from that accident was the person who'd been
in the home it answered many questions but also gave them any questions I suppose yes because they you know now
they know okay so Victor gray is connected to Ray Wright because of course they they have him as the
intruder at Ray Wright's home but now they have Ray wri's belongings we went with the police and looked in their
files you know as they pulled out baggie after baggie of each tragic piece of Ray
Wright's life and it's a life you know that you could just tell ended so horrifically there was a yellow rain
Slicker covered in blood stains his shattered eyeglasses his daughters um talked about seeing those eyeglasses in
court when you know the prosecutors pulled that out as evidence that just shattered them seeing those shattered
glasses and the Ray Wright designs ball cap that Ry always wore they knew in that moment Victor gray has something to
do with Ray wri's disappearance and then of course the true piece of evidence that came forward for them was the cell
phone they found not just Ray Wright's crushed cell phone in the accident but Victor Gray's cell phone and on that
cell phone is that three-page letter that you know spells it all out for investigators I want to play some sound
from the hour it's a clip from prosecutor matchism describing what was written in the letter it was dated
January 27th the same day as Gray's ill-fated Chase with police police and it's clear that Victor has grievances with
Bob and the Grievances stem about not being paid for delivering the dude to you those are his
words the dude yeah I hand delivered you your revenge now it's time to pay me Victor
great he never admitted to actually writing that letter and his attorneys suggested that maybe it was PL Ed on the
phone you know there there's a lot of ways to interpret it uh but Victor gray never talked to police he didn't testify
a trial he didn't talk to us so uh we don't really have Victor Gray's side about that letter you had to just infer
from reading it and it's clearly A Veiled Threat to Bob you got to wonder if this case would have come together
the way it did if he just didn't take a picture of that letter if the name Bob just didn't come up the way that it did
prosecutor said how about if Bob Manor had just paid Victor gray what he was promised it was all of
$110,000 the life of a Man Ray Wright for $10,000 um had that payment happened prosecutors said this case would not be
solved the way it's been solved prosecutors said there's some irony in Bob sort of being upset about not being
paid restitution yet you know he allegedly stiffs Victor and the entire scheme is unraveled
absolutely that's a great Point yeah that's a I hadn't really thought of it that way but I think you're exactly
correct if you look at the case in its entirety could anyone have hired a bigger bungler to pull off criminal
activity than Victor gray I mean to go into Ray's house smoking marijuana while he's supposed to
be committing a burglary to leave the evid the key evidence that unraveled the case behind to be driving around with
guns and Drugs in your car and all this highly sensitive murder evidence wrapped
up in the back of your car to leave a copy of that letter on his phone to have text messages with the Lookout that he
never even bothered to delete from his phone to have conversations with people that visited him in the jail that gave
away key Clues even though all your conversations are being recorded when you have people come to visit you know
he's not anybody's partner in crime for anything that you want to get away with in March of 2021 prosecutors charged Bob
Manor and Victor gray with the kidnapping and murder of Ray Wright even though police had yet to find Ray's body
both men pleaded not guilty and to this day still maintain their innocence the trial finally began in March of 20123
more than 5 years after Ray Wright went missing can we talk a little bit more about Bob's defense here uh you know I
heard this many times from convicted criminals this idea that there's no direct evidence linking me to the crime
that's what Bob was jumping up and down talking about in the jail to Natalie and
of course defense attorneys make that argument in court but what these criminals forget is that they're can be
a mountain of circumstantial evidence and of course that's why the jury decided to convict Bob Manor and during
the time that you were speaking to Bob I mean did he talk at all about how much the accident disrupted his life did
he give a sort of an inkling as to whether or not he had revenge on his mind even though he says he had nothing
to do with this I mean he he would not go down that road he was more about you know I'm innocent you there's no body
there's nobody therefore Ray wri you know disappeared I have nothing to do with it how difficult is it to bring a
murder case to trial without a body you know I think the prosecutor matchism said it best he in presenting his case
he looked at the jury and he said think about this all that you know about this man Ray Wright the kind of father he was
the kind of Grandfather he was he was the kind of guy that would pick up the phone and call his brother every day
they talk to one another would he disappear how else do you explain it except that the man is dead and do you
need a body to make that point when you have all of these pieces of his life his
belongings and all of the circumstantial evidence that points at exactly these two defendants and this monster motive
which is Revenge obviously when you have the body you know certain things about the facts of the murder that are missing
with a nobody case but uh you know there are two developments that go hand inand
and it's really the digital society that we live in where there's so much to track people and people's activity
whereas 30 years ago if you said well we haven't heard from Ry you know you didn't have the ability to check his
bank accounts instantly and to to track a cell phone and that is matched with forensic developments along those same
lines that police can use to establish facts and to uh demonstrate a case that really weren't available 30 or 40 years
ago or even to some extent 20 years ago and so I think that is a lot of the reason that nobody cases are very
solvable uh these days not only evidence but Witnesses who testify that Bob Manor
told them I got him I got him now the prosecutor did face the challenge that first of all the witnesses a lot of them
felt that they would be threatened or their lives would be threatened by speaking so um there was that concern
but also their credibility would come into question and and that certainly is where you know the defense their
strategy was going after how credible are these Witness wies I found Ray's family particularly moving um can you
talk to me about what it was like to sit down with his family they are still yearning for sort of that final goodbye
I guess yes and it's been you know over six years and you know the loss is still
right there on the surface you see their pain their grief they still live with that day
his daughters you know one of them has a daughter Ashton you know always asking about
Grandpa and um you know they live with that pain every day and Peggy his ex-wife talks about Ry still to this day
as the love of her life you know this was a tight-knit family despite what life circumstances dealt them so Bob
Manor and Victor gray were found guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping and both were sentenced to life without
the possibility of do you think if they never find his body will this be enough will it be enough
that Bob Manor and Victor gry are behind bars or will there always be that bit of
emptiness I think there will always be that piece that is missing in their lives the police did say that that part
of this investigation Still Remains open you know they are still wanting and seeking answers as to where Ray's
remains may be and I think there's hope that at some point point someone will speak or say something to investigators
but as far as closure is is concerned this is a family that will always live with this and knowing that the man they
love so much is now missing from their lives for now though you know I think the family lives with the the memories
that they have and just to add one more thing you know he was a guy who yes he had this DUI but you know that was such
a turning point in his life I mean that was rock bottom and his daughters all remember that's when Ry got himself
together and he was sober and you know he he he really made the best of the life that he lived after that moment
yeah he course corrected any final thoughts on this case from both of you Ry was uh such a special person because
he really was a leader for his family what what was significant for me was just how Ray murder left such a hole in
each of these person's lives their their lives are just not complete on a day-to-day basis without Ray yeah
definitely um well one thing I know for sure is that if there are any developments in this case 48 hours will
be all over it because that's what you do Natalie Greg thank you so much for joining us thanks again for having us on
amarie thanks a lot join us next Tuesday for another postmortem and watch 48 hours Saturdays
109 Central on CBS and streaming on Paramount plus and if you are liking the show please rate and review 48 Hours on
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A family man abruptly vanishes and police tie his disappearance to a monstrous plot for revenge.

Watch "Who Took Our Dad? The Abduction of Ray Wright" and then catch up with "48 Hours" correspondent Natalie Morales and Producer Greg Fisher on "Post Mortem" as they take you inside their interview with the accused mastermind behind the disappearance of Ray Wright, a family man unknowingly in the center of a terrifying plot for revenge. The two discuss the high-speed car chase and the treasure trove of evidence that authorities say linked defendants Bob Manor and Victor Gray to the crime.

00:01 Who Took Our Dad? The Abduction of Ray Wright 40:40 Listen to a post-mortem on the episode

Listen to "Post Mortem" wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/scWVxYON?sid=YT

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Ray Wright's disappearance leads to a murder investigation, revealing evidence and motives tied to revenge from a past DUI incident.

Key points

The Mysterious Disappearance of Ray Wright. Ray Wright vanished without a trace, leaving family and friends in turmoil.
A Chilling Admission. Robert Manor's confession raises the stakes in the investigation into Ray's disappearance.
The Pain of Loss. Ray Wright's family struggled with grief and the absence of his body.
Victor Gray's Confession. Victor Gray made a powerful admission during a jailhouse call, hinting at his involvement.
The Emotional Trial. The trial revealed the deep emotional impact on Ray Wright's family.
Guilty Verdict. Robert Manor and Victor Gray were found guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He was super romantic.

Peggy Wright reminiscing about Ray's romantic nature.

5:17WatchJul 5, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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