Raymond Adolph “Ray” Lightner, 81, was found stabbed to death in his Taylor, Texas, home in 1992.

TAYLOR, Texas — In this KVUE Crime Files, it’s a murder that has haunted Williamson County investigators for more than thirty years. But the Texas Rangers believe the truth is still out there and they’re asking for the public’s help.

81-year-old Raymond Adolph Lightner, known to friends as “Ray,” was a familiar face around Taylor, Texas. He was a widower who lived alone and often played dominoes at a nearby lounge. 

“He was a little cantankerous, but that was why people loved him. He was retired but stayed in touch with his family and just kind of did his own thing,” Texas Ranger Keith Pauska said. 

In November 1992, Lightner had just returned home from an assisted living facility where he was recovering from a glaucoma procedure. A home health worker came to check on him and found him stabbed to death inside his house on Kimbro Street.

At the time, two suspects were identified, but they were eventually ruled out. The case went cold and had not been actively investigated since the 1990s. Years later, Lightner’s family reached out to investigators, prompting renewed interest in the case.

Pauska says because the original reports were limited, the investigation has returned to reinterviewing witnesses and acquaintances. They’re are also retesting evidence using modern DNA technology that didn’t exist at the time.

“Back then they just blood typed things so they could get a blood type of match. Things have advanced a lot,” he said. “So I’m having the Department of Public Safety crime lab here in Austin test things and we might be able to send it off to a private lab to do additional testing and we’re in the process of that right now,.”

Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers and the Taylor Police Department are urging anyone with even the smallest tip to come forward.

“Everybody matters and that’s why we do what we do. Someone out there knows something, they just need to say it,” Pauska said. 

A $6,000 reward is being offered for information related to the case, but only for a limited time.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Texas Rangers tip line at 1-800-252-8477. Tips can also be submitted online through the Texas Department of Public Safety’s website.