In 1993, 16-year-old Rayna Rison vanished after her after-school shift at a local animal hospital. A month later, her body was found dumped in a pond in rural LaPorte, Indiana.
The case shocked the quiet Midwest town—and then went cold.
For years, Rayna’s murder remained unsolved. Whispers of abuse. A family secret. A community unwilling to speak. Then, in 2014, a man named Jason Tibbs—Rayna’s ex-boyfriend from middle school—was convicted of her murder. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
But a new book by investigative journalist Hillel Levin says: They got the wrong man.
In Submerged: A Cold Case, an Innocent Man Condemned, and One Family’s Darkest Secret, Levin reopens the Rayna Rison murder—and reveals what he claims is new, overlooked, and damning evidence.
Among the most compelling revelations:
- Rayna’s autopsy showed a high concentration of isopropyl alcohol—a substance found at the metal foundry where her brother-in-law, Raymond McCarty, worked.
- McCarty had been convicted of molesting Rayna years earlier, and allegedly threatened her life.
- Multiple alibi witnesses confirm Tibbs was elsewhere during the estimated time of death.
- Key prosecution witnesses against Tibbs may have been coached by investigators, and gave conflicting statements years after the crime.
A Heavy Weight podcast explores the full timeline—from Rayna’s disappearance and the discovery of her body, to the false leads, family fractures, and long-overdue trial.
🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
📖 Learn more from Levin’s investigation at submergedtruecrime.com.
