Hunter Petray
Reparto
Hunter Petray is a detective lieutenant with the Benton County Sheriff's Office in Arkansas, where he has served for over 28 years. He is widely recognized for his work in the Criminal Investigation Division, particularly for his "relentless" efforts to solve cold cases. L.E. Career * Cold Case Resolution: In 2016, Petray helped solve a four-year-old homicide case involving a former Nazi who was killed by a family member acting in self defense. In that same year, Petray helped solve a 2001 unidentified remains case involving a leg that washed up on the shore of Beaver Lake. Petray connected it to a 1989 boating incident where an individual’s boat was found circling with no one on board. DNA from the missing individual’s 93-year-old mother and sister confirmed the identity. In 2022, Petray gained significant attention for identifying the "Benton County Three"-three homicide victims who remained nameless for decades. He collaborated with Othram laboratory, to identify Fred Grow, Donna Nelton, and John Rollins Jr. His casework has been featured on A&E Interrogation Raw, season 2 episode 11 Test of Faith, and season 4 episode 8 Friends Who Kill. Petray was featured in the 2023 crime documentary, Devil in the Ozarks, as well as the 2024 award winning podcast Paper Ghosts-The Ozarks season 4 * Case Leadership: He continues to lead efforts on other cold cases, such as the 1987 disappearance of Enoch Pennington, 1989 homicide of Dana Stidham, 2006 disappearance of April Andrews, and many other unsolved cases. * Previous Roles: Over his career, he has served many roles including detective sergeant, administrative lieutenant, and captain. Author and Historian Petray is also a writer with a lifelong passion for true crime and law enforcement history. * Notable Work: He is the author of The Fall of San Francisco’s Notorious Howard Street Gang, which details the history of one of the city's early 20th-century criminal organizations. * Background: Born and raised in Fordyce, Arkansas, he is a graduate of the University of Arkansas.
