Naman Shrestha
In 2016, the rather peaceful and quiet community of Brown County was taken aback when the news of Rhonda Chantay Blankinship’s death broke. Her remains were discovered in an abandoned house, which was considered haunted by many people. The brutality of the crime left the family and friends of the 25-year-old devastated and determined to get the justice she deserved. The DNA evidence found at the crime scene indirectly led the authorities to the killer — Ryan Riggs. The entire case is explored in a detailed manner in the episode titled ‘The Haunted House Confession’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline.’ It also features exclusive and insightful interviews with Rhonda’s loved ones, providing more details about the investigation and the capture of the killer.
Ryan Riggs Went on the Lam For Months Before Ultimately Turning Himself in
Ryan Derek Riggs and Rhonda Chantay Blankinship were acquainted with each other as they were neighbors and had attended church together. On the evening of May 13, 2016, when she stepped out of her Brown County house for a walk in her North Lake neighborhood, Ryan allegedly approached her while she was by the community mailboxes and began talking to her. As per Ryan’s claims, the two got to flirting, and he convinced her to get inside his truck before he drove her to a secluded area and sexually assaulted her. Then, he allegedly took her to an abandoned Victorian house in the area, where he killed her. He then proceeded to flee the scene of the crime with her cell phone, which he threw several miles away.
A couple of days later, Rhonda’s remains were discovered. When the autopsy suggested that she was sexually assaulted and died of blunt force trauma, a homicide investigation was launched. It took the authorities one and a half years to come up with a digital sketch of the suspected killer, thanks to the DNA they found at the crime scene. The sketch somewhat matched the facial features of Ryan. When the similarities were noticed by one of Rhonda’s brothers, the detectives tried to track Ryan down, only to find out that he had left town. Nearly a week later, on November 15, 2017, he returned to the North Lake Community Church and confessed to the pastor that he had killed 25-year-old Rhonda.
He was then taken to the Brown County Sheriff’s Office by his parents and the pastor. There, he admitted to his crimes to a couple of detectives during a two-hour interrogation. During the confession, he also told them that while he was on the run, he thought about taking his life. However, he claimed that God told him to confess in order to find salvation. This prompted him to turn himself into the custody of the police. By the end of the interrogation, Ryan Riggs was finally arrested on November 15, 2017, for the murder of Rhonda Chantay Blankinship.
Ryan Riggs is Currently Incarcerated at a Texas Prison Facility
More than a year after his confession and arrest, on February 15, 2019, Ryan Derek Riggs pleaded guilty to the capital murder charge in connection to the death of Rhonda Chantay Blankinship. At the hearing, the 22-year-old man also admitted that he sexually assaulted her before killing her. In exchange for his admission of guilt, the prosecution declined to seek the death penalty, and as a result, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The trial was attended by Rhonda’s family, including her grandfather and mother, Michelle McDaniel.
The latter took the stand and addressed her daughter’s killer directly, saying, “You will never get married. You will never have grandkids for your mom and dad. My daughter would have forgiven you because that’s the way she was. I hope one day you’ll realize everything you’ve done, not only to us but to your family.” After the sentencing, Brown County District Attorney Michael B. Murray stated, “This was a heinous, violent, and utterly heartbreaking crime. The appalling nature of Riggs brutalizing a vulnerable young woman in this way cannot be put into words.” As of today, Ryan Riggs is serving his sentence at the James V. Allred Unit in Iowa Park, Texas.
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