Arkansas man arrested in Tennessee in connection with human remains investigation

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — A suspicious-person call at a Tennessee truck stop led police to an Arkansas man wanted in connection with an investigation involving suspected human remains.

Franklin police said officers responded to a truck stop Friday, Aug. 21, after receiving a report of a suspicious person. Officers identified the man as Rudy Ray, 56, of Trumann, Arkansas.

Police said officers worked to verify Ray’s identity and contacted law enforcement authorities in Arkansas.

During the investigation, Franklin police learned authorities in Trumann were seeking warrants for Ray on charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.

According to information Trumann authorities provided to Franklin police, the charges are connected to an investigation that began with a missing-person report involving a woman. Investigators later discovered what they believe to be human remains at a property in Trumann.

Franklin police arrested Ray on a fugitive-from-justice charge.

At the time of the Franklin Police Department’s Aug. 24 release, Ray was being held in the Williamson County Jail on a $1 million bond while authorities arranged his extradition to Arkansas.

Franklin police said the underlying missing-person investigation and pending Arkansas charges are being handled by the Trumann Police Department.