Case fileNovember 8, 2026
Fostoria police said a 50-year-old man was arrested Oct. 29 after a Seneca County grand jury returned a secret indictment charging him with murder in the 2006 death of Jeffrey Risner. Police said they spent the past year reviewing the case with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Cold Case Unit.
What we know
Where: Fostoria, Ohio
When: Body found March 2, 2006; arrest Oct. 29, 2026
The accused: Bradly Ray, 50
Charges or verdict: Indicted on a murder charge
Status: Held without bail awaiting first court appearance
A body found in a garage
Jeffrey Risner, 50, was found dead March 2, 2006, in a garage behind his home in Fostoria, according to the Ohio Attorney General's cold-case page. The Attorney General's Office says the autopsy found multiple sharp force wounds to his neck and blunt force trauma to the right side of his head. For two decades the case went unsolved. It stayed on the Ohio Attorney General's list of cold-case homicides, which is a resource for families and investigators looking for answers in killings that have gone years without an arrest.
Fostoria police said that over the past year, detectives worked with agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Cold Case Unit to review the case and reopen the investigation. A Seneca County grand jury then returned a secret indictment charging Bradly Ray with murder, police said. Fostoria police and BCI agents made the arrest Oct. 29, according to 13abc. Chief Gabriel Wedge credited the work of Fostoria Detective Sergeant Brooks Hall and BCI Special Agents Doug Burke, Lori Braunschweiger and Darien Spann. As quoted by TiffinOhio.net, he said: “Reaching this point after 20 years is the result of the dedication and careful planning of Fostoria Detective Sergeant Brooks Hall and BCI Special Agents Doug Burke, Lori Braunschweiger, and Darien Spann.”
What is not yet known
Ray was booked into the Seneca County Jail and is being held without bail until his first court appearance, according to Fostoria police. No court date was reported. TiffinOhio.net reported that authorities have not disclosed a motive, any relationship between Ray and Risner, or the evidence presented to the grand jury. The outlet also reported that the investigation is ongoing and that no further information will be released for now. No plea or statement from a defense attorney was reported in the sources reviewed.
Where the case stands
Ray was indicted on a murder charge and arrested Oct. 29. He is held without bail at the Seneca County Jail.
No court date has been announced.
Charges are accusations, not findings of guilt.
Police say the investigation is continuing and no further details are being released for now. Risner's killing was 20 years old when the indictment came.
Sources
Ohio Attorney General: Cold Case, Jeffrey Risner, 2026
13abc: Fostoria man arrested in 2006 cold case murder, October 30, 2026
WTOL: Cold case investigation leads to arrest in 2006 Fostoria homicide, October 2026
TiffinOhio.net: Fostoria man charged in 2006 Jeffrey Risner murder, October 2026
This story is based on the records and reports linked above. An arrest or charge is an accusation, not a finding of guilt, unless the story says a court has ruled.