Police: Woman staged her disappearance

RUSHVILLE, Ind. (WISH) - A woman who police said staged her own disappearance in May – sparking a massive manhunt - has been arrested.

Connie Jackson-Ray, 37, disappeared the morning of May 16, Indiana State Police said. She was reported missing from her home in the 5200 block of Rush County Road 1200 North by her husband and stepson.

After officers found her car still in the driveway with an open door and personal effects left inside, they suspected foul play. That and Jackson-Ray’s previous reports of being stalked led police to mount a search, enlisting the help of police agencies in Rush, Decatur, Randolph and Delaware counties, along with search dogs and aircraft from ISP. The search cost the various agencies more than $2,500, ISP said.

Later in the day, police said, Jackson-Ray called her brother and reported being hit in the head and dumped on a county road in Randolph County. Officers found her at a Village Pantry in Farmland, unharmed.

Upon further investigation, investigators determined that Jackson-Ray had planned the entire incident and had been picked up from her home by a male acquaintance, planning to move to another state and start a new life, ISP said.

Jackson-Ray was arrested Tuesday on a warrant issued by the Rush County prosecutor’s office on charges of criminal mischief, a Class D felony, and false informing, a Class B misdemeanor.