The Ryan Riggs case is the 2016 rape and murder of 25-year-old Rhonda “Chantay” Blankinship near Lake Brownwood, Texas, solved eighteen months later when a DNA-generated composite sketch produced a tip that led Riggs to confess in front of his church congregation. In February 2019, Riggs pleaded guilty to capital murder in Brown County’s 35th District Court and received life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Victim and the Crime
Chantay Blankinship was intellectually disabled, having been diagnosed as a child with pervasive developmental disorder. She had graduated from high school but could not read or write more than a few words, had a speech impediment, and could not drive, hold a job, or live on her own. She stood under five feet tall and weighed 89 pounds. She lived with her grandfather and her boyfriend in the rural North Lake community of Brown County and sang in the choir at North Lake Community Church.1TDCAA. Snapshot of a Killer
On the evening of Friday, May 13, 2016, Blankinship left for a walk in her neighborhood and did not return. She was reported missing the next morning. Two days later, volunteers found her body in a storm cellar on an abandoned property along County Road 424, an old farmhouse locals called the “Haunted House.”2KTXS. Property Linked to Chantay Blankinships Murder Demolished to Restore Peace to Community An autopsy showed blunt force trauma consistent with a lawnmower blade found at the scene, signs of strangulation, a shoe print on her chest, and evidence of sexual assault. A DNA profile was developed from semen recovered from the victim.1TDCAA. Snapshot of a Killer
How the Case Went Cold
Sgt. Scott Bird of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation. Detectives interviewed more than 100 people, ran multiple polygraphs, and collected DNA samples from over 30 men in the community. None matched. The profile was run through CODIS, the FBI’s national DNA database, and returned no hits. Early persons of interest, including Blankinship’s boyfriend, a neighbor, a former sexual partner, and volunteers who had helped find the body, were all cleared through DNA testing.3Oxygen. Chantay Blankinship: Who Killed Her For roughly eighteen months the case sat still.1TDCAA. Snapshot of a Killer
The Composite That Broke It Open
Bird had learned about DNA phenotyping from a true crime television show and researched it on his own. On October 14, 2017, he submitted the crime-scene DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia company that uses genetic markers to predict a person’s ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin tone, freckling, and facial structure. The sheriff’s office and the district attorney’s office split the $3,600 fee.4Brownwood News. Sheriff Hopes DNA Snapshot of Murder Suspect Is Break Needed
About a month later, Parabon returned its report. The suspect was predicted to be male, 91.59 percent Northern European ancestry, with blue or green eyes, brown or blond hair, and fair skin. The digital portrait went up on the Brown County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page in early November 2017. One of Blankinship’s half-brothers saw it and recognized Ryan Riggs, a former classmate and neighbor who attended the same church. Riggs had never been a suspect. He had even joined the search after Blankinship disappeared.3Oxygen. Chantay Blankinship: Who Killed Her
Phenotyping had not been tested in court at that point, and prosecutors treated the image strictly as a tip-generating tool. It could not support probable cause or a search warrant. The identification still relied on a person recognizing the face.1TDCAA. Snapshot of a Killer
The Church Confession
Sheriff Vance Hill later said the composite “spooked” Riggs. Deputies tried to pick him up on an unrelated illegal dumping warrant, but he had left town.5KTXS. Pastor Describes Ryan Riggs Murder Confession at Church Riggs later told police he had been hiding and thinking about suicide, and that he “spent time talking to God,” who told him, “If you want salvation, this is what you need to do.”1TDCAA. Snapshot of a Killer
On the evening of November 15, 2017, Riggs arrived at North Lake Community Church with his parents. Before the Wednesday night service he pulled Pastor Ron Keener aside and said, “I need to confess something. I’ve done something real bad. I murdered her.” Keener told Riggs he could speak to the congregation but that the sheriff would be called immediately after. Standing before the small gathering, Riggs said: “I’m a murderer. I killed Chantay Blankinship.” Several members gasped. Others came forward and hugged him.5KTXS. Pastor Describes Ryan Riggs Murder Confession at Church
Keener drove with Riggs and his parents to the sheriff’s office, where Riggs turned himself in and gave a two-hour recorded confession to Sgt. Bird and Texas Ranger Jason Shea. He said he met Blankinship near the community mailboxes, offered her a ride, and drove her to a secluded spot. He strangled her in his truck, raped her, then dragged her to the abandoned property and beat her with a lawnmower blade. He also stomped on her chest. He told investigators he chose her because she was intellectually disabled and small, calling her an “easy target,” and said, “I wanted both things to happen, the rape and the murder.” A buccal swab taken after the confession confirmed his DNA matched the crime-scene profile.1TDCAA. Snapshot of a Killer
Who Riggs Was
Riggs was 21 at the time of the murder and had attended North Lake Community Church only sporadically. At 16 he broke into a house and stole a gun, telling authorities he was suicidal over a relationship. He spent a short time in a psychiatric facility and was diagnosed with depression; his records showed no psychotic disorder. He had a handful of other juvenile incidents and minor school discipline. During his confession he admitted regularly using and selling methamphetamine and alluded to a family history of mental illness. Investigators noted he was articulate and coherent throughout the two-hour interview.1TDCAA. Snapshot of a Killer
The Plea and Sentence
Riggs was charged with capital murder and held without bond.6CBS News. Sheriff: Man Confesses in Church to Murder After DNA Composite Sketch Released Brown County District Attorney Micheal Murray prosecuted the case with Assistant District Attorney Elisha Bird, and Assistant Attorney General Jane Starnes was appointed as a special prosecutor from the Texas Office of the Attorney General.1TDCAA. Snapshot of a Killer
Prosecutors weighed evidence of future dangerousness against mitigating factors, including drug use and childhood trauma, and consulted Blankinship’s family on whether to seek the death penalty. The state agreed to a plea: Riggs would plead guilty to capital murder and the prosecution would not pursue death. Under Texas law, when the death penalty is waived in a capital murder case, the only sentence available is life without parole.7KTXS. 22-Year-Old Brownwood Man Pleads Guilty to Life Without Parole for 2016 Murder
On February 15, 2019, Riggs pleaded guilty before Judge Stephen Ellis in the 35th District Court. He received life without parole and waived all rights to appeal. Murray called the crime “heinous, violent and utterly heartbreaking” and said Riggs’s brutalization of “a vulnerable young woman” could not be put into words.8Abilene Reporter-News. Ryan Riggs Lake Brownwood Man Sentenced Life Prison After Plea Deal
The Family at Sentencing
Blankinship’s mother, Michelle McDaniel, addressed Riggs directly: “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.”1TDCAA. Snapshot of a Killer She told Riggs she forgave him and later said she felt “a lot of peace” knowing the three-year ordeal was finally over.9KTXS. Mother of Murdered Brownwood Woman Forgives Daughters Killer The family posted a photo of Chantay online with the caption, “I got my justice.”
Where the Case Stands
Riggs remains in the Texas prison system, serving life without parole. Because his plea agreement included a waiver, he has no appeal.
The abandoned farmhouse where Blankinship’s body was found had drawn steady trespassers over the years, with people jumping fences to visit the site. In early April 2025, property owner Brent Woodley hired contractor Charlie Cabler to demolish the house and cave in the storm cellar. Woodley said the work was done “as a favor to the community” and to “erase all those bad memories.” A memorial at the front gate was left in place for Blankinship’s family.2KTXS. Property Linked to Chantay Blankinships Murder Demolished to Restore Peace to Community
NBC’s Dateline revisited the case in a 2025 episode titled “The Haunted House Confession,” with interviews from Blankinship’s mother and sister, Ranger Shea, Assistant DA Elisha Bird, and Captain Scott Bird.10NBC. Chantay Blankinship Found Murdered Haunted Texas Farmhouse