Are the Bodies Found in This New Mexico Lake Connected to a Notorious Serial Killer

One of the most infamous serial killers born in New Mexico is none other than David Parker Ray, aka the Toy Box Killer. Born in Belem, New Mexico, David was arrested in 1999 on charges of kidnapping, torturing & raping several women in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico & Elephant Butte, New Mexico.

A total of 60 women were believed to be victims of David's crimes after police raided his trailer, which contained a homemade torture chamber which David called his "toy box".

After living so close to Elephant Butte Lake, people began to speculate that perhaps David buried his victims bodies in the lake, making it harder for police to find them. There was even a book that talked about this called "The Bodies of Elephant Butte Lake".

So were there ever bodies found in Elephant Butte Lake?

According to the FBI, they found several items that belonged to many of David's victims. They also said that NONE of his victims were ever buried here. In fact...they said that none of the bodies were ever found...PERIOD.

HOWEVER...that doesn't mean bodies WEREN'T found in Elephant Butte. Aside from the various fish carcasses you'd find washed up on land, there HAVE been various news stories of people being found dead in the lake:

• A Las Cruces man's body was found in June 2016,
• That same year, a Ft. Bliss soldier was found in September of 2016,
• Another man's body was found in June 2020,
• Even this year in 2024, an Albuquerque attorney, Wade Jackson, was found dead in the lake.

While it's very unlikely that any of the Toy Box Killer's victims were found at Elephant Butte, there HAVE been lives taken at the same lake.

So if you're going out to enjoy Elephant Butte Lake, make sure you bring a life jacket & someone with you to make sure you're safe.

New Mexico has also been the speculation of the creation the show, Courage the Cowardly Dog. You can read that story here.

Get our free mobile app