
The Tragic Murder of Rhonda ‘Chantay’ Blankinship
Published: July 22, 2026
Duration: 49:33
The episode details the investigation into the 2016 murder of Rhonda "Chantay" Blankinship, a vulnerable young woman from a small community in Brown County, Texas. After her body was discovered in an abandoned cellar with signs of extreme physical and sexual violence, local authorities struggled for over a year to identify a suspect using traditional methods. The case eventually reached a breakthrough when investigators utilized DNA phenotyping, a cutting-edge forensic technology that generated a visual profile of the killer based solely on genetic material. This digital sketch led relatives to recognize Ryan Riggs, a neighbor who eventually provided a public confession...