Written by Amanda Coers – Northlake Community Church will be hosting a candlelight vigil to honor the memory of Chantay Blankenship on Saturday, May 12th, at Coggin Avenue Park in Brownwood, beginning at 7 p.m. This Sunday, Mother’s Day, is the two year anniversary of Blankenship’s death.
Her mother and stepfather, Michelle and Steven McDaniel, have coordinated the event with Pastor Ron Keener from Northlake Community Church, to remember their daughter.
“This is a way each year that we can remember this very special young lady in our community who was so well loved by her family and her church family,” Pastor Keener said. “The support of our Northlake Community Church family continues to extend to both families involved in this tragedy.”
Rhonda “Chantay” Blankinship was reported missing on Saturday, May 14, 2016, after not returning home from a short walk. Her body was discovered the next day, five miles from the North Lake Brownwood Community, not too far from her home. She was only 25 years old. The horrific murder shocked the community.
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office utilized a DNA composite image of a suspect in the case based on evidence collected at the scene. The composite was a near-perfect match to 21 year old Ryan Derek Riggs who confessed to the crime to both his church congregation as well as law enforcement soon after the image was released to the media.
“This man went to church with her,” Chantay’s mother, Michelle, said in an emotional facebook video posted shortly after the arrest. “He’s just a kid himself.”
Ryan Derek Riggs is currently incarcerated in the Brown County Jail awaiting trial.
