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The February 28 episode of Dateline explores the murder of Rhonda “Chantay” Blankinship, and Ryan Riggs's confession to the crime. In 2016, the community of Brown County was disrupted by the news of Rhonda's death. Her remains were found in an abandoned house, which was considered haunted by the people of the area.
The brutality of the crime shook everyone, and the 25-year-old's devastated family members and friends were determined to get justice. Investigations and DNA evidence found at the crime scene indirectly led the authorities to the killer, Ryan Riggs, who later confessed to the crime. He was arrested and remains incarcerated to this day.
Dateline's latest episode, titled The Haunted House Confession, explores the case in detail comprising exclusive interviews with Rhonda’s loved ones. The episode airs on February 28 at 9 pm ET on NBC.
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Who is Ryan Riggs, and what happened to Rhonda “Chantay” Blankinship?
Ryan Riggs and Rhonda "Chantay" Blankinship were neighbors. On May 13, 2016, Rhonda had stepped out for a late evening walk in her North Lake neighborhood. She was then approached by Ryan and the two began talking.
According to Ryan, he convinced her to get inside his truck and drove her to a secluded spot where he sexually assaulted her. He then took her to an abandoned house and killed her.
He fled the crime scene with Rhonda's cell phone, disposing of it several miles away. Two days later, Rhonda’s remains were discovered, and the autopsy at the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office suggested that she was sexually assaulted and died of blunt force trauma.
It was clear that this was a case of homicide, and an investigation was immediately launched by the BCSO, along with the FBI and the Texas Rangers.
However, it took the authorities one and a half years to come up with a digital sketch of the suspected killer using the DNA evidence they collected from the crime scene. The sketch was a rough match with Ryan, and the similarities were noticed by one of Rhonda’s brothers.
When detectives tried to track Ryan down, they discovered that he had left town. However, nearly a week later, in November 2017, he returned to the North Lake Community Church and confessed to the pastor his crime.
Riggs was then taken to the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, where he confessed during a two-hour interrogation. He also shared that he was on the run and even thought of taking his life, but that God told him to confess to find salvation. On November 15, 2017, Riggs was finally arrested for the murder of Rhonda Chantay Blankinship.
Ryan Riggs is currently at James V. Allred Unit
On February 15, 2019, Ryan Riggs pleaded guilty to the capital murder charge in connection to the death of Rhonda "Chantay" Blankinship. He also admitted to sexually assaulting her. In exchange for his admission of guilt, he was not given the death penalty but was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole by the court. The trial was attended by Rhonda’s family.
Following the sentence, Brown County District Attorney Michael B. Murray stated that it was a "heinous, violent, and utterly heartbreaking crime." Ryan Riggs is currently serving his sentence at the James V. Allred Unit in Iowa Park, Texas.
Catch the details of Rhonda's murder case and the arrest of Ryan Riggs on the Dateline episode on February 28, 2025.
