FOSTORIA | Bond Set at $1 Million for Man Charged in 2006 Jeffrey Risner Cold Case Murder

Author: FFP Ai Bot

FOSTORIA – Bond has been set at $1 million for Bradly Ray, the 50-year-old Fostoria man charged with murder in the 2006 killing of Jeffrey Risner, according to 13 ABC (WTVG).

Ray’s bond was set Oct. 30, the day after his arrest, and a pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9, 13 ABC reported. ToledoBuzz also reported the $1 million bond and the Nov. 9 hearing date.

In an I-Team “Case Files” report published Nov. 3, 13 ABC reported that Ray is Risner’s former roommate. Risner’s daughter told the station she is not surprised by the arrest.

Arrest after 20 years

Fostoria police and special agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) arrested Ray on Thursday, Oct. 29, on an indictment warrant, according to a Fostoria Police Division press release. Earlier that day, a Seneca County grand jury returned a secret indictment charging Ray with murder under Ohio Revised Code 2903.02. Seneca County Common Pleas Court Judge Damon Alt signed the indictment, police said.

Patrol officers, detectives and BCI special agents took Ray into custody without incident, and he was taken to the Seneca County Jail, where he was initially held without bail pending his first court appearance, according to the release.

Risner, 50, was found dead March 2, 2006, in a utility building behind his home in the 100 block of Palmer Street in Fostoria, police said. 13 ABC described the building as a garage. An autopsy by the Lucas County Coroner’s Office found multiple sharp-force wounds to Risner’s neck and blunt-force trauma to the right side of his head, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

The case went unsolved for years and was classified as a cold case. Over the past year, Fostoria police worked with BCI’s Cold Case Unit to review and reopen the investigation, leading to the arrest, according to police.

Police have not said what evidence led to the indictment. The department said the investigation is ongoing and that no additional information would be released at this time to protect its integrity and safeguard due process.

Anyone with information about the case can contact the Fostoria Police Department at (419) 435-8573 or the BCI tip line at 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446).

Ray has been charged, not convicted. An indictment is a formal accusation, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Read The Fostoria Free Press’s original report on the arrest: BREAKING NEWS | Fostoria Police, BCI Arrest Man in 2006 Murder Cold Case.

The Fostoria Free Press will update this story as the case moves through court.

Sources:
13 ABC (WTVG) – “Fostoria man arrested in connection with 2006 cold case murder” (Oct. 29, 2026, updated with bond) – https://www.13abc.com/2026/10/30/fostoria-man-arrested-2006-cold-case-murder/
13 ABC (WTVG) – “I-TEAM Case Files: Former roommate charged in cold case murder of Jeff Risner” (Nov. 3, 2026) – https://www.13abc.com/2026/11/03/i-team-case-files-former-roommate-charged-cold-case-murder-jeff-risner/
ToledoBuzz – “Fostoria Man Held on $1M Bond in 20-Year-Old Cold Case Murder” (Nov. 3, 2026) – https://www.toledobuzz.com/2026/11/03/fostoria-man-held-on-1m-bond-in-20-year-old-cold-case-murder/
Fostoria Police Division – Press release on arrest (Oct. 29, 2026) – https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HiuMegQNf/
Ohio Attorney General – Cold Case Database, Jeffrey L. Risner – https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Law-Enforcement/Investigator/Cold-Case/Homicides/Risner
The Fostoria Free Press – Original arrest report (Oct. 29, 2026) – https://thefostoriafreepress.com/fostoria-arrest-2006-cold-case-murder-jeffrey-risner/