Man Arrested In Murder Of Shondra May Dies In Police Custody
Police announced today that Rubin Weeks (63) the man arrested and charged in the February 1986 Pea Ridge, Mississippi abduction and murder of 17 year old Shondra May died in police custody.
On February 4th, 1986 May vanished while on her way home after a late shift at McDonalds. She called her mother sometime that night saying she was stopping to get her boyfriend a Valentines card from what was then a TG&Y located on Highway 35. Her family discovered her abandoned car on a gravel road near her driveway, the keys were still in place with the engine off, and radio still playing with the driver side door slightly open. The only thing besides May herself being missing was her driver license. The search began when May was reported missing with Mississippi State Police, FBI, and the National Guard searching several counties with no clues turning up.
However on February 26th, May was found dead in Baker’s Creek near Bolton, Mississippi by an off duty firefighter who was searching for fishing worms. The location was more than 80 miles away from her last known whereabouts, with her being located in Hinds County with the creek being south of the Champion Hill Road bridge. The medical examiner determined she had likely been strangled and wrapped in industrial tape. A time of death later confirmed she had been alive multiple days after her abduction with a exact time of death being unknown.
Over the years police investigated several suspects but no arrests were ever made in the case. However the Shondra May case was given a huge update on April 29, 2025 when Weeks was arrested at an RV park in Madison County and charged in the abduction, rape and murder of May. DNA evidence collected during the investigation was connected to Weeks which confirmed his involvement in the case which was later confirmed by Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee. Another thing that matched was the hair found at the scene was red which matched the same hair color he had in 1986.
Prior to his arrest he had also been charged in a 1991 abduction and assault of a motel clerk in Mississippi. The victim was found alive and would later testify against them which led to a conviction. The 1991 case led to him being interviewed about May’s case however he refused to cooperate and they never were able to arrest him till earlier this year.
Weeks remained in police custody as preparations for a trial began, however on December 6th, 2025 he died while in custody of unknown causes. This came four days after he had a hearing to determine his detention status with the judge determining he would remain in custody with no bond.
On Social Media The Sheriff’s Office released a statement. “While we close this part of our investigation, we hope in the months to come we can release the details that lead to the arrest of Weeks. Thank you to everyone that assisted in this investigation.”
Sources:
https://www.wlbt.com/2024/10/16/shondra-may-cold-case-almost-solved/?outputType=amp
https://www.wjtv.com/news/local-news/man-accused-of-killing-shondra-may-dies-in-custody/amp/
https://www.wlbt.com/2025/12/07/man-accused-killing-shondra-may-dies-jail/?outputType=amp
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/man-accused-killing-shondra-may-181752987.html
https://www.wlbt.com/2020/02/26/after-years-death-shondra-may-still-haunts-small-mississippi-town/
Posted Dec 7, 2025, 10:51 PM UTC