BONUS: Unpacking David Parker Ray: “The Toy Box Killer”

Summary

American Homicide Bonus Episode: Unpacking David Parker Ray: “The Toy Box Killer”

Release Date: December 3, 2024
Host: Sloane Glass
Guests: Andrea Gunning (Host of the Betrayal Podcast) and Ben Federman (Producer on American Homicide)

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Introduction to the Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode of American Homicide, host Sloane Glass delves deep into the chilling case of David Parker Ray, infamously known as “The Toy Box Killer.” Unlike typical episodes that dissect specific cases, this episode offers an extensive examination of Ray’s life, his heinous crimes, and the profound impact on his victims and those seeking justice.

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David Parker Ray: The Man Behind the Monster

Ben Federman emphasizes the gravity of Ray’s potential victim count:

"There are still families out there that have missing loved ones. These potential 45 to 60 individuals in New Mexico that remain on a missing person's list."
[02:30]

Ray is suspected of being one of America’s most prolific serial killers, with estimates ranging between 45 to 60 victims. Unlike many serial killers who commit their crimes swiftly, Ray inflicted prolonged torment on his victims, often employing a combination of drugs and electric shock therapy to exert control and inflict pain.

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The Horror of the Toy Box

The centerpiece of Ray’s atrocities was his elaborate torture chamber, aptly named the “Toy Box.” This mobile trailer housed an array of devices used to manipulate and harm his victims. Sloane Glass reflects on the emotional detachment needed to discuss such horrors:

"A lot of the serial killers that we talk about, the actions are fast, they're horrific. But to hear about someone who got their pleasure from extended periods of time torturing victims... it's sick in a way that there's no one else who has stayed with me the way that he has."
[02:16]

Andrea Gunning shares her visceral reaction to hearing Ray’s own recordings:

"I was washing my dishes, and I just stopped immediately. I can't even really think about the emotion that came over me other than just fear and deep empathy for the person that was actually in that hearing that."
[03:10]

These tapes not only documented Ray’s methods but also served as a haunting testament to his depravity. The FBI’s investigation unearthed numerous personal items, including jewelry and clothing, intended to identify more victims. Sloane poignantly muses:

"How many times did a woman look down, see this bracelet that her husband or her boyfriend or her mother had given her... and it's lying in this toy box, and he's keeping it for his own enjoyment."
[05:57]

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Victims’ Plight and Tragic Outcomes

The victims, primarily women, were often marginalized as sex workers, making their disappearances less likely to trigger immediate and vigorous searches. Andrea Gunning highlights the empathy listeners should have for these individuals:

"You really are sitting with to some small degree that you can, what some of these people went through."
[06:53]

One notable survivor, Kelly Garrett, was identified through her tattoo after the release of Toy Box evidence. Her ordeal left her with no memory of the specifics, a consequence of Ray’s manipulative and traumatic methods. Ben Federman discusses the broader impact on survivors:

"No one, including herself, believed what happened to her that night... it's really devastating."
[07:38]

Another victim, Cynthia Vigil, managed a harrowing escape by fleeing while physically restrained, illustrating Ray’s brutal control:

"Running naked with a dog collar around your neck down the street, just trying to find any sort of sanctuary."
[09:18]

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The Emotional Toll on Investigators

Investigating such a gruesome case takes a severe emotional toll on law enforcement personnel. Darren White, a member of New Mexico's Department of Public Safety, shares his haunting experiences:

"There are certain aspects of it that you could just push a button and you could hit erase and you wouldn't have to see that again... Those are images, horrible images that will live with us for the rest of our lives."
[09:45]

Tragically, FBI Agent Patty Rust, tasked with detailing the evidence from the Toy Box, succumbed to the psychological strain:

"She could be considered another victim of David Parker Ray. It's so sad to tell this story. It really breaks my heart."
[10:06]

Ben Federman reflects on the human aspect of investigators:

"FBI agents are just... they're humans, too. There’s a level of feeling, seeing, experiencing something... it affects us in different ways."
[12:06]

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Unanswered Questions and Lingering Mysteries

Despite extensive investigations, many questions about Ray’s crimes remain unanswered. A map recovered from his property displayed numerous pins scattered across a lake, hinting at possible undiscovered victim locations. Ben Federman expresses his frustration over the unresolved aspects:

"Was this just another token that he held onto... or was this another part of his manipulation to lead law enforcement towards an empty search?"
[16:16]

Adding to the frustration, Ray died of a heart attack before he could stand trial, leaving his victims without closure:

"Can you imagine being the FBI agent who had a meeting set up with David Parker Ray, where he says he's going to talk and he dies from a heart attack... it just feels so unjust."
[18:19]

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Legacy and Ongoing Impact

The physical Toy Box remains at the FBI field office, a grim reminder of the hope that some victims might still be found:

"I think the only reason it is still there is that hope that these 45 to 60 bodies may eventually turn up."
[13:54]

As the episode concludes, Sloane Glass encourages listeners to engage with the community and share insights or cases that warrant further attention, emphasizing the importance of collective memory and justice for the victims.

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Conclusion

This bonus episode of American Homicide offers a comprehensive and harrowing exploration of David Parker Ray’s atrocities. Through poignant discussions, emotional testimonials, and critical reflections, the episode underscores the enduring pain of the victims' families and the profound challenges faced by those seeking justice. By shedding light on such dark corners of American history, American Homicide honors the memories of the lost and advocates for the closure that still eludes many.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ben Federman [02:30]:
  "There are still families out there that have missing loved ones. These potential 45 to 60 individuals in New Mexico that remain on a missing person's list."

• Andrea Gunning [03:10]:
  "I was washing my dishes, and I just stopped immediately. I can't even really think about the emotion that came over me other than just fear and deep empathy for the person that was actually in that hearing that."

• Sloane Glass [05:57]:
  "How many times did a woman look down, see this bracelet that her husband or her boyfriend or her mother had given her... and it's lying in this toy box, and he's keeping it for his own enjoyment."

• Darren White [09:45]:
  "There are certain aspects of it that you could just push a button and you could hit erase and you wouldn't have to see that again... Those are images, horrible images that will live with us for the rest of our lives."

---

Contact and Further Engagement:
Listeners are encouraged to share their thoughts, questions, or cases of interest via email at [e-mail]. Follow American Homicide on Apple Podcasts and other platforms to stay updated on future episodes and investigations.

Transcript

[Sloan Glass]

Hi listeners. I'm Sloan Glass, host of the American Homicide Podcast and I'm excited to share this riveting story with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of season one of American Homicide 100% ad free and one week early through the iHeart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Plus you'll get access to other chart topping true crime shows you'll love like the Girlfriends Betrayal, There and Gone, South Street, Creating a Con, the Story of Bitcont, Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, Murder Homes and more. So don't wait, head to Apple Podcasts, search for iheartruecrime and subscribe today.

[Sloane Glass]

Hi American Homicide listeners, this is your host, Sloane Glass. Thank you for joining us on our first bonus episode. I am joined by the host of the Betrayal podcast, Andrea Gunning. Hi Andrea.

[Andrea Gunning]

Hi Sloan.

[Sloane Glass]

And Ben Federman. Ben Fetterman is a producer on American Homicide and him and Andrea host Daring on south street together. Hey Ben.

[Ben Federman]

Hey Sloan.

[Sloane Glass]

This episode is obviously going to be different because it's not our typical American Homicide format where we are going through a case. We are really going to spend some time just on David Parker RA the Toy Box Killer. So our show is American Homicide. The episodes are called Toy Box Killer and we don't have any bodies. I hate saying bodies because it feels like a really removed way to talk about these victims. But we are speaking about someone who could be one of the most prolific serial killers in American history and we only know about a few of his torture victims. The estimated from Jim Yontz, the DA who prosecuted this case is that there could be 45 to 60 victims of David Parker Ray. So it's well established that he was a murderer even though it is unsolved.

[Andrea Gunning]

Right.

[Sloane Glass]

I think the both of you covering unsolved cases can speak to just the torment that that can leave you. Just talking about something but not being able to give an audience any clear answers.

[Ben Federman]

Sloan One of the reasons why this story was important to tell is because there are still families out there that have missing loved ones. These potential 45 to 60 individuals in New Mexico that remain on a missing person's list.

[Sloane Glass]

A lot of the serial killers that we talk about, the actions are fast, they're horrific. But to hear about someone who got their pleasure from extended periods of time torturing victims who in some cases through a mixture of drugs and electric shock therapy, it's. It's sick. It's sick in a way that there's no one else who has stayed with me the way that he has.

[Andrea Gunning]

Yeah, I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard those tapes of him like that. That welcome greeting that he. That he plays to his. His victims. And I think I was, like, washing my dishes, and I just stopped immediately. I can't even really think about the emotion that came over me other than just fear and deep empathy for the person that was actually in that hearing that.

[Ben Federman]

I mean, what is on those tapes that he played for these women is horrific. And yet I think we, as a production, felt it was important to play those, to really show how evil this man was. It was. This is what it was. And what's your opinion of it? Because our opinion was this is some of the most horrific evidence we've come across in this show.

[Andrea Gunning]

It's been a really long time since I listened to something, and it's kind of stopped me in my tracks, and I felt the emotions and the fear, and I was legitimate. I left feeling terrified of David Parker Ray.

[Ben Federman]

Yeah, Dre, I think one of the things that is most terrifying about David Parker Ray is that he is the epitome of a wolf in sheep's clothing. This is a man that was able to go and operate throughout the community because of his standing in it.

[Sloane Glass]

I think it's hard to imagine that there's a human being like him who has existed. And to see someone who is willing to make that audio tape and then also make videos of what he was doing for his own pleasure. Ugh. It's just such an awful one. And you can go onto the FBI's website today, and you can see images of more things that they have found from inside the toy box. And it's. Oh, it's just so much that they're trying to use to identify more victims. And a lot of it is clothing. So much jewelry. And what I was thinking about when I first saw all of that was how often. Dre, you can probably speak to this as women. So much of our jewelry has meaning behind it that's often about protection or sentimental reasons. And I look at these bracelets, and I think, how many times did a woman look down, see this bracelet that her husband or her boyfriend or her mother had given her with the hope that their daughter could wear it to be safe and happy and think of them. And it's lying in this toy box, and he's keeping it for his own enjoyment.

[Andrea Gunning]

I know that a lot of people, when they listen to true crime, they really want to understand the motivations of the people that are behind it. But a lot of the work that we do focuses on the people who represent those jewelry items and what they lost and what they went through. And this isn't just like a one off hyperbolic situation. This is a person that was cloaked himself in as a normal person and was preying on individuals and people were his prey. So it's really scary. And I just, I think that the most impactful part of this whole three part series is how much you feel for the victims and understand what they went through. Because to understand this story and to hear it is to feel that fear. And you really are sitting with to some small degree that you can, what some of these people went through.

[Sloane Glass]

I really like what you said about an artifact of their time before David Parker Ray makes me think Kelly Garrett. Kelly Garrett was the victim who the FBI was able to identify from posting an image of her tattoo. And her former in laws saw that and then reached out. She continued to live after this experience and she had no memory of the specifics. That's how much he can alter a person's mind. Not just, you know, what he did with the drugs and the torture, but just the trauma behind this experience. And I think about her life before and I think about her life after. It's loss after loss after loss.

[Ben Federman]

With Kelly, I think the hardest part is the fact that no one, including herself, believed what happened to her that night. To the point that it led to her divorce, to the point that she got gaslit by her family, by herself, by the entire community by saying this isn't happening. But fundamentally, as we've said, not only did her brain get altered from the trauma that she experienced, but then also how she was drugged, but then just the path that she was on was completely changed when she was dumped on the side of the road. And you just have no idea why. It's really devastating.

[Andrea Gunning]

And part of me is like, well, thank God she doesn't remember what she went through. The trauma, the violence that she just went through for X amount of days. But then how he was able to weaponize that too for all of those years. It is astonishing to me. But it's, it's one of those things where I'm like to have full clarity of that amount of pain for that amount of time also scares me too.

[Sloane Glass]

Right. And so much of that has to do with the victims who he picked. Women who people didn't look for when they went missing because of their work as sex workers. I think about Cynthia Vigil and what it took for her to escape. And I think about her running with just feet of chains attached to her.

[Ben Federman]

Running naked with a dog collar around your neck down the street, just trying to find any sort of sanctuary. That's what it took to unravel this case.

[Sloane Glass]

Right. And what could have continued to happen if she had not done that.

[Andrea Gunning]

Yeah.

[Sloane Glass]

We have an audio clip from Darren White, who worked for New Mexico's Department of Public Safety, and he speaks about what this case, what it did to him.

[Darren White]

When you do this work as long as I have, you wish. There are certain aspects of it that you could just push a button and you could hit erase and you wouldn't have to see that again. But unfortunately, that's not the case. Those are images, horrible images that will live with us for the rest of our lives.

[Sloane Glass]

There was an FBI agent, Patty Rust. It was her job to detail everything that was found in the toy box. She's making drawings. She spent five days just going over the evidence. And when she got home after those five days, she took her own life. She could be considered another victim of David Parker race. It's so sad. It's so sad to tell this story. It really. It breaks my heart. This. You know, this is a. This is an FBI agent. You can imagine what this woman had seen. You can't discount what it would do to a person and the timing of events that after being so immersed in his toy box, she couldn't go on. I think it has to just change the way that you view the world. And it's just devastating that it. That it ended up the way that it did with Agent Rust. And I. God, I wish that, you know, she had been able to get some help.

[Andrea Gunning]

In some way when Ben and I were investigating there and gone, and we didn't know exactly what happened to two people, Richard Petrone and Danielle. They went missing, and they haven't been found 20 years later. And so we kind of have an idea of what happened and who was involved, but we don't know the manner of death. And that was something that. You have to play different scenarios when you're doing an investigation. You have to think through, did this happen or did that happen? Was this how they were killed? I'm not in the FBI. I've just worked on a few cases. But it is extremely difficult, especially when you're tasked to find justice. You can't help but feel bought in. And then this other level of reality can really be jarring, emotionally jarring. I don't know how you felt about it, Ben, but I would often find myself finding it too hard to think too deep on what happened to Danielle and Richard.

[Ben Federman]

I think what comes to mind for me about this part of our conversation and comparing it to There and Gone is FBI agents are just. They're humans, too. And there's a level of feeling, seeing, experiencing something. You can try to be as detached from the job as you want to be, but at some point, you are a human being and can't completely be devoid of emotion. And for this female agent that took her own life, I obviously can't imagine. But I know as a human being that there are things that impact us that we just can't turn away from, and it affects us in different ways. And that's where my mind went for There and Gone. You and I got very close to Agent Vito Roselli. I mean, he is a tenured, decades long special agent on the force. He did not necessarily see any crime scene photos or results of what happened to them that could have that type of impact. But how it did impact him, Dre, is the relationships with the families. That pursuit of wanting to get them answers and his inability to let go of that case and move on that case will always continue to be with him. Just like for the agents in New Mexico around toy box. This case will always loom over that field office.

[Sloane Glass]

I mean, he invested $100,000 in creating the toy box, this torture chamber. $100,000.

[Ben Federman]

And one thing that I find remarkable as well is that the toy box, this physical trailer, still sits in the parking lot of the field office, the FBI field office that investigated this. And I think the only reason it is still there is that hope that these 45 to 60 bodies may eventually turn up, that there may be evidence in the toy box to be able to say, hey, David Parker Ray was responsible for this and to bring justice for those families to know what happened.

[Sloan Glass]

Hi listeners, I'm Sloan Glass, host of the American Homicide Podcast, and I'm excited to share this riveting story with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of season one of American Homicide one 100% ad free and one week early through the iHeart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Plus you'll get access to other chart topping true crime shows you'll love, like the Girlfriends Betrayal There and Gone, South Street Creating a Con, the Story of Bitcont, Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, Murder Homes, and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for Iheart True Crime and subscribe Today, in the.

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[Ben Federman]

And to their loved one. There's one piece of this story that is really the open ended piece to it that bothers me outside of everything that we've talked about, which is this map that was recovered on his property that had pins in this lake just randomly scattered about. And we cover the fact that there was this drought that occurs and everyone expected because of that drought, this is how we're going to find all these missing people. And yet when that event occurs, that drought occurs, the reservoir runs dry, there are no bodies. And it left me with the question, was this just another token that he held onto of where he committed all these crimes, or was this another part of his manipulation to lead law enforcement towards an empty search? And I just don't know that bothers me about this case.

[Sloane Glass]

I want you to hear something from Darren White, who worked on this case.

[Darren White]

I think still at this point, your hope is like any case that you are asked about that's unsolved, your hope is that bringing it back, there will be a tension that comes with this erring. And you hope that with what Cynthia is doing and others talking about it, that maybe it just sparks something in somebody to do the right thing. And so I see it as an opportunity to raise awareness about the case. And the only thing that's going to make me feel good about this case, if that's even possible, is solving some of these homicides and finding some of these women.

[Sloane Glass]

Well, can you imagine being the FBI agent who had a meeting set up with David Parker Ray, where he says he's going to talk and he dies from a heart attack. It's just so frustrating. And it's particularly frustrating because a heart attack is just so not what he deserves. I mean, this. It's such a get out of jail free card, really, after what he did, for there to be no accountability for him to get to die suddenly when his victims had been tortured endlessly, it just feels so unjust.

[Andrea Gunning]

You know, when I was listening to the show that you guys put together, it was just like one thing after another, but it just kind of goes to show just like the wake and how expansive his destruction is. And it doesn't stop at just the investigation. I mean, there's like a black cloud that hangs over this whole entire story.

[Sloane Glass]

Yeah, I mean, the judge who died.

[Andrea Gunning]

It'S just when the judge had the heart attack, I was like, you gotta be kidding me. You gotta be kidding me.

[Sloane Glass]

Oh, no.

[Ben Federman]

Yeah. A victim passes away right before one of the trial commences, which put a ton of pressure on the other two women who go into the trial thinking, I'm just going to be experiencing what I've experienced all these years, which is, no one's going to believe me.

[Sloane Glass]

He feels like an extension of the underworld that so many people around him could kind of get that curse.

[Ben Federman]

I mean, you look back, he got pretty damn close to not having to face what he was responsible for.

[Sloane Glass]

It really is as if he made a deal with the devil.

[Andrea Gunning]

In what you guys put together for the Toy Box Killer, you really get the impact of how terrifying and violent and bad of a person David Parker Ray was. You did a really great job. And then. So you guys are done with New Mexico, and then the next up is we're heading to my neck of the woods in New Jersey.

[Sloane Glass]

Yeah, now we're in New Jersey. For people listening who don't know this, which would be anyone listening, we're based out of Philadelphia. So the New Jersey stories, we're really familiar with these areas, you know, particularly Cherry Hill. Cherry hill is what, 45 minutes away? You know, we want to keep those lines open between us and the American homicide listeners in our email, in our Instagram. Because a lot of these stories take place in communities that you all know well and have insights, and we want to hear those things, and we also want to hear what you want to hear more of. So if there's questions or anything that comes up or cases that you believe deserve more attention, reach out, let us know. You can email [e-mail] I just loved being joined by you guys.

[Ben Federman]

Thank you.

[Andrea Gunning]

I'm excited for New Jersey.

[Sloane Glass]

Thanks Dre Ben thank you both so much.

[Sloan Glass]

You can contact the American Homicide Team by emailing [e-mail] that's AmericanHomicidePod. American Homicide is hosted and written by me, Sloan Glass and is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with I Heart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Todd Ganz. The series is also written and produced by Todd Ganz with additional writing by Ben Federman and Andrea Gunning. Our Associate producer is Kristen Melchiori. Our iHeart team is Ali Perry and Jessica Krynchak. Audio editing, mixing and mastering by Nico Aruka. American Homicide's theme song was composed by Oliver Baines of Noiser Music Library, provided by My Music. Follow American Homicide on Apple Podcasts and please rate and review American Homicide. Your five star review goes a long way towards helping others find this show. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi listeners, I'm Sloan Glass, host of the American Homicide Podcast and I'm excited to share this riveting story with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of season one of American Homicide 100% ad free and one week early through the iHeart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Plus you'll get access to other chart topping true crime shows you'll love like the Girlfriends Betrayal There and Gone, South Street, Creating a Con, the Story of Bitcont Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, Murder Homes and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for iheart True Crime and subscribe today.