Full Name: Raylene Susan Helsley

Alternative Name: Unknown

Case Status: Missing

Record ID#: 0140

*The names “Jane Doe”  and “John Doe” are English names used when the person’s true name is not known. If used above, the name refers to a person of unknown identity.

Date of Birth*: October 19, 1970
Birthplace: Unknown
Age at the Time: 12
Age Group: Pre-Teen
Biological Sex: Female
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Skin Complexion: Unknown
Shoe Size: Unknown
Ethnicity: Caucasian or White
Nationality: United States
Languages Spoken: English

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Physical Build:

Height:

Weight

Distinguishing Marks:

• Scar
• Birthmark

Medical Condition: Unknown
Physical Abnormality: Unknown
Dental Condition: Unknown
Scars & Other Marks: Raylene has a pale strawberry colored birthmark on the back of her neck, near her hairline. She also has a blue pencil mark scar on the top of her nose and upper lip.
Piercings: Unknown
Tattoos: Unknown

Other Descriptors: Unknown

Clothing

• Floral purple, long-sleeved shirt
• Levi Jeans
• Boots

*NamUs says her shirt was “blue and green” and her boots were cowboy boots.

Possessions:

• Unknown

Date of the Disappearance*: January 5, 1983

Disappearance

The Alleged Assault

Raylene Susan Helsley, a 12-year-old girl, lived with her father, Raymond E. Helsley Jr., and her younger sister, Candace “Candy” (aged 8), in a trailer in Ruston, Louisiana. The family had previously resided in Natchez, Mississippi, where Raymond Helsley Jr. had been convicted of abusing Raylene, indicating a history of domestic violence. The household environment was reportedly volatile, with Raylene and Candace subjected to their father’s abusive behavior.

On the evening of January 4, 1983, an altercation occurred that precipitated Raylene’s disappearance. According to Candace’s testimony to the police, the incident began over a minor infraction: Raylene drank a Coca-Cola without her father’s permission. When she refused to perform jumping jacks as punishment, Raymond Helsley Jr. became enraged. The situation escalated rapidly, and he began physically assaulting Raylene. Candace reported that her father grabbed Raylene by the hair and beat her with a PVC pipe, striking her on the body and head. He later switched to a silver 14-inch pipe wrench, hitting her with such force that the wrench broke apart. Candace, frightened, retreated to her bedroom but later heard Raylene scream again, suggesting the assault continued.

The following morning, January 5, 1983, Candace saw Raylene lying unmoving on the couch before leaving for school. Raylene did not attend school that day, reportedly due to being unwell or injured from the assault. When Candace returned home from school, Raylene was gone, and her whereabouts have remained unknown since.

Father’s Explanation

Raymond Helsley Jr. claimed he left the trailer for approximately one hour on the morning of January 5, during which time Raylene disappeared. He insisted that she likely ran away. He admitted to striking Raylene with the PVC pipe but maintained it was old and brittle, causing minimal harm. He also disputed Candace’s account of the pipe wrench, claiming he had grabbed it from the sink (which was under repair) to clear space when Raylene began vomiting, and that Candace misunderstood the situation. He asserted Raylene was not seriously injured but was simply sick that morning.

The Investigation

Candace would later testify that it was true that the PVC pipe was old and small; she also admitted that she never saw any blood. Nonetheless, police honed in on Mr. Helsley as the primary suspect, convinced he had murdered Raylene before hiding her body.

On January 7, 1983, the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office searched the family’s trailer and surrounding areas. Evidence collected included:

• A silver pipe wrench (referred to as wrench 1), identified by Candace as the one used in the assault. Its clamp and adjustment screw were missing, which possibly aligned with her claim that the wrench broke while Helsley was using it.
• A second pipe wrench (wrench 2), found in a toolbox on top of the silver wrench.
• A pillow and a blanket, both of which contained minute traces of human blood, though forensic testing could not confirm if it was Raylene’s.
• A drainboard.

Neither the blanket nor the drainboard were admitted into evidence at trial. The blood on the pillow and wrench 2 could not be definitively linked to Raylene, and the pillow’s connection to the case was deemed inadmissible by the court. However, the broken state of the silver pipe wrench corroborated Candace’s testimony about the severity of the assault.

Police focused on Raymond Helsley Jr. as the primary suspect, suspecting he murdered Raylene and disposed of her body. Their suspicions were fueled by:

• Candace’s detailed testimony of the violent assault.
• Helsley’s prior conviction for abusing Raylene in Mississippi.
• His failure of two polygraph tests and two psychological stress evaluations, which suggested deception. The judge later noted that these tests indicated Helsley may have buried Raylene’s body within 1.5 miles of the trailer.

Unfortunately, police were never able to prove Raylene was killed, nor was her body ever recovered.

Despite extensive searches of wooded areas, nearby rivers, and ponds in Union Parish, no trace of Raylene was found. A tip from a “reliable source” suggested her body might have been disposed of in the Ouachita River near Sterlington, Louisiana, approximately 50–60 minutes from Ruston. Authorities searched the river from Sterlington to Columbia and Monroe using boats, horseback, and foot patrols, involving around 35 officers. A woman fishing reported finding a bone along the riverbank, but police determined it was animal in nature. Rumors of clothing or human remains in the area were not substantiated. The river theory conflicted with the police’s initial belief that Raylene was buried near the trailer.

A separate report from a family in Natchez, Mississippi, claimed they saw Raylene after her disappearance, but this lead was investigated and yielded no results. (The Times 1983)

The Trial

Raymond Helsley Jr. was arrested on January 7, 1983, and charged with cruelty to a juvenile (La.R.S. 14:93) for the assault on Raylene. This would have been a felony charge and a ‘habitual offender’ proceeding (given his prior conviction for abusing Raylene in Natchez) may have substantially increased his sentence (Louisiana Laws). Unfortunately, the prosecution was forced to drop the ‘habitual offender’ element given that his Mississippi conviction was under appeal at the time.

Additional charges were filed in August 1983 for the unlawful transportation, possession, and storage of explosives, stemming from his storage of high-explosive detonating cords, fuses, and blasting caps in the trailer, which he had transported from Natchez, Mississippi, in 1982. He accepted a plea bargain, confessing to the transportation charge in exchange for the prosecution dropping the other explosives-related charges.

Helsley pleaded innocent by reason of insanity to the cruelty charge. On June 7, 1983, he was convicted and sentenced to the maximum penalty of ten years of hard labor, a $1,000 fine, and court costs. The judge controversially considered inadmissible evidence, such as the failed polygraph tests, during sentencing. In 1984, Helsley appealed, and while the prison sentence was upheld, the fine and court costs were removed (457 So.2d 707, 1984).

No murder charge was filed due to the absence of Raylene’s body, leaving her fate unconfirmed.

Additional Information

In 1986, Raymond Helsley Jr. was a co-plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, alleging systematic torture of prisoners, including beatings, chemical assaults, and denial of medical care (Martin 1986). Helsley testified to being handcuffed, chained, and maced for hours, as well as being attacked by another inmate, resulting in severe injuries. These claims raise questions about the conditions of his interrogation and incarceration, potentially affecting the reliability of his failed polygraph and stress tests.

The Follow-Up

In 2011, a woman claiming to be Candace posted on a true crime forum (Websleuths), stating she was 37 and had lived in foster homes and with her grandparents after Raylene’s disappearance. She mentioned visiting her father in prison as a child and meeting him once after his release at age 18 but had since cut contact. She expressed hope that Raylene was alive but acknowledged the unlikelihood, and she provided DNA for comparison against unidentified remains. The authenticity of this post could not be independently verified.

If the post is valid, The Suitcase Detective is pleased to know she has moved on and matured into a strong woman her sister would be proud of. We wish Candace all the best and hope that someday she finds the answers her family deserves.

Multiple Victims?: No

Rumored or Actual Sightings: A separate report from a family in Natchez, Mississippi, claimed they saw Raylene after her disappearance, but this lead was investigated and yielded no results.

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Date the Body was Recovered: Unknown

Description: Unknown

Possible Signs Of . . . : Unknown

Time of Death: Unknown

Cause of Death: Unknown

Recovered Remains (if partial): Unknown

Suspected Homicide?: Unknown

Multiple Victims?: Unknown

DNA Tested (No Match): Unknown

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Description: Unknown

License Plate: Unknown

Description: Raymond Helsley Jr. was Raylene’s father and is suspected of having killed her in a fit of rage one evening. He was male, Caucasian or White, middle aged.