Obituaries:  Scotty Ray, Sabine Parish       R-000
Source:  Sabine Index, Many, La., Dec 21, 1972
Submitted by: Carl Dilbeck
              carlrad@earthlink.net




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Scotty Ray

  Scotty Ray, the 5 year old son of Wilmer Ray, who lives on the
Carter Ferry Road, died at 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 19, as the
result of a gunshot wound.

  Scotty and his two brothers, Danny Wayne Phillips, 11, and
Kenneth Ray, 2, were left alone at home by their father when he
went to work.

  Danny Wayne told Sabine Sheriff Deputies Travis Bennett and Dub
Jeter, and Zwolle City Marshal Quinton Brandon, that while he and
the younger brother, Kenneth, were in the yard using the
bathroom, they heard a shot. When they ran into the house, the
found Scotty dead in a closet, the gun on the floor beside him.

  Danny then tried to call his grandmother, and when he couldn't
get her, he just took off running down the road. Soon Steve
Longoria came along and picked Danny up, and took him to Zwolle,
to Marshal Brandon. Brandon notified the Sheriff's Department,
and Bennett and Jeter were sent to the scene.

  Upon investigation, it was learned that Wilmer Ray and his wife
Patsy were separated, and the children were living with Ray. When
he went to work, he had to leave them alone. Bennett told the
INDEX that it looked as if Scotty was just meddling around in the
closet, when the gun, which was propped in the corner, fell and
went off, hitting him in the upper left part of the chest. He
died instantly. It was a 20 gauge automatic shotgun, in very bad
shape, with a warped barrel, and no stock.