From Mechanic to Monster: The Terrifying Double Life of David Parker Ray

David Parker Ray, known as the Toy Box Killer, is one of the scariest and most mysterious criminals in American history.

To most people, he seemed like a normal mechanic living in the small town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

But behind this ordinary appearance, Ray had a dark secret.

He had a special trailer called the “Toy Box,” which was soundproof and filled with torture tools.

For many years, Ray kidnapped, tortured, and possibly killed many women in this trailer.

This article explores the horrifying world of David Parker Ray, trying to understand the mind of a man whose terrible actions shocked the nation and still haunt people today.

How It Started

David Parker Ray was born in 1939 in Bellen, New Mexico, 35 miles south of Albuquerque.

Living in a troubled household, he was abused by his alcoholic father and neglected by his mother.

He spent much of his school-age years being bullied by his classmates and was very shy with girls when he was a teen.

During this time, he developed a strong interest in sadomasochism and a fascination with bondage, possibly influenced by the violent porn magazines his father gave him during his early teens.

After graduating high school in 1957, David served in the U.S. Army, became a mechanic, and later worked a maintenance job for the New Mexico Parks Department in Truth or Consequences.

He was married four times, all of which ended in divorce.

To many onlookers, he seemed like an ordinary mechanic, but inside, he was hiding a very dark secret.

The Toy Box

From 1950 until the late 1990s, David Parker ultimately found his home in the desert town of Elephant Butte, New Mexico.

He was a regular at the local bars, and this is where he spent over $100,000 making a soundproofed torture chamber inside a cargo trailer.

This chamber was equipped with a chilling array of torture devices and weapons that he used to fulfill his twisted fantasies and sadistic desires.

He nicknamed the cargo building “The Toy Box.”

The Toybox was a pain-inflicting torture chamber that had a gynecological chair equipped with harnesses in the center of the room.

There were many devices of torture in this evil, sinister place where David Parker Ray fulfilled his sadistic desires.

The walls were covered with a checklist of how to handle a captured victim and other horrific images.

Years of Torture

It is not known for sure when David started his reign of torture and terror on his unsuspecting victims, but it is believed that he began in the early 1950s and continued until his arrest in March 1999.

David began his twisted “hobby” by luring or kidnapping prostitutes and other vulnerable women, whom he would then bring back to the Toy Box.

He would use various methods of torture and manipulation to break them down mentally and physically, forcing them to submit to him completely.

He would keep them chained with dog collars, drug them, and make them listen to a horrendous tape of his voice explaining what he was going to do to them before he tortured them.

In 1997, David met 37-year-old Cynthia Lee Hendy, and she became his girlfriend and partner in crime.

Cindy, as she was called, would help with both the abductions and tortures of David’s victims.

He trained her and taught her how to abuse, torture, and kidnap women.

David also had his daughter Jesse Ray help him lure women to his house by befriending them.

In 1994, Jesse befriended Kelli Van Cleave from the town of Truth or Consequences and lured Kelli to David’s house, where he tortured Kelli for three days.

After three days, David drove Kelli to a beach where her husband found her wandering aimlessly.

Kelli couldn’t remember what had happened to her due to the drugs David Parker Ray had given her.

Her husband accused her of cheating on him and drinking, and he kicked her out of their home.

A turning point came when David Parker Ray and his girlfriend kidnapped Cynthia Vigil-Jaramillo in March 1999.

After torturing her for three days, Cynthia saw a chance to escape when Cindy got a phone call.

She worked herself free from the file cabinet that she was chained to and made a call to 911, but Cindy caught her.

Cynthia then stabbed Cindy with an ice pick and escaped from the cargo trailer where she was being held captive.

Cynthia ran down the road and tried to flag down a passing car, but her blood-covered body was too terrifying for the driver to stop.

She finally found her way to a nearby house, where she ran inside naked and bleeding.

The elderly woman and her husband, who lived in the house, gave her a robe and called 911 for help.

The police came and arrested both David Parker Ray and his girlfriend Cindy.

The Arrest

The police searched David’s home and found The Toybox trailer with all the horrific torture devices.

They arrested both David Parker Ray and Cynthia Lee Hendy and charged them with twelve criminal charges, including aggravated assault and kidnapping.

After the arrests, more victims came forward, including a woman who had reported being kidnapped by Ray, but the police hadn’t investigated her claims.

The Trial

The case went to trial in March of 2000 but was postponed because David Parker Ray was tried for a previous crime in Colorado.

Once the trial did get underway, Ray was charged with twelve counts of kidnapping, conspiracy, and sexual abuse, but there was a mistrial because the jury didn’t agree on all the charges.

A retrial took place, and Ray was found guilty on the twelve charges.

He was facing 223 years behind bars and interrogation by the New Mexico State Police, but on May 28, 2002, Ray suffered a fatal heart attack.

Why Was Cindy Not a Victim?

One question that was on everyone’s mind during the investigation and trial was why Cindy, David Parker Ray’s girlfriend, was not a victim of his crimes.

Many speculate that she may have been a willing participant in the abductions and torture of innocent women.

But some think she might’ve been a victim, manipulated and controlled by David.

Who Helped?

Another question that has been raised is whether or not David had any accomplices in his heinous crimes.

Cindy was a known accomplice, but some theories suggest he had other partners who aided him in abducting and torturing his victims.

David’s daughter, Jessie Ray, was also involved in the crimes, as she had lived with her father for some time and was aware of his “Toy Box” and helped him lure victims to their homes.

Dennis Roy Yancy was an accomplice who helped with the murder and disposal of Marie Parker.

Where Are The Bodies?

David Parker Ray claimed he had killed more than forty women, and he told his girlfriend that he disposed of the bodies of women he had tortured in the reservoir, but no bodies were ever found.

There are many theories about what David Parker Ray did with the bodies, but that question may never be answered.

Here are some of the more popular theories:

Buried in Remote Locations

Some believe Ray buried the bodies in remote desert areas around Elephant Butte Lake, where they would be difficult to find due to the vast and rugged terrain.

Dismembered and Disposed

Another theory suggests that Ray may have dismembered the bodies and disposed of the parts in various locations, making it harder to recover any identifiable remains.

Dumped in the Lake

It’s also possible that he disposed of bodies by dumping them in Elephant Butte Lake.

The lake’s depth and the sediment at the bottom would make it challenging to locate remains.

Burned Remains

There are theories that Ray may have incinerated the bodies, leaving little to no evidence behind.

In 2011, the FBI released images of jewelry and clothing collected at the crime scene.

The hope is that people will be able to identify missing loved ones.