Emmerdale confirmed the shocking death of villain Ray Walters on Monday, as the mystery surrounding his demise continues.
Emmerdale star Joe Absolom has broken his silence after his character was brutally killed off.
The villain arrived in the Dales last year and was soon exposed as a violent drug dealer, enlisting Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle) and his girlfriend April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) into his criminal operation. He also manipulated April into believing she had committed a murder.
Last week, Ray killed his adoptive mother, Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths), a fellow villain who masterminded their dark drug ring and exploited workers on their farm. Ray stabbed his abusive mother in the back, ending her life, and ominously declared that he was now “free.”
Ray had hoped that with Celia out of the way, he could begin a new life with Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy), but his plans were in vain.
Appalled by the trauma Ray and Celia had inflicted on April and Dylan, April immediately ended her relationship with him, leaving Ray panicked, and refused to let him back into her home.
Monday’s episode (January 5) opened with a mysterious body being dragged across the floor, which was later revealed to be Ray, setting off a brand-new whodunnit. Initially, there were no clues as to what had happened or who was responsible.
Viewers then saw Ray’s body, eyes still open, partially concealed by a bag being carried by an unknown individual.
Later, during the explosive Corriedale crossover, Ray’s body was discovered in the back of Jai Sharma’s (Chris Bisson) van as a deadly crash unfolded. But how it ended up there remains a mystery.
Actor Joe Absolom, who played Ray Walters, took to social media to pay tribute to his character.
On Instagram, Joe shared a photo of himself in character as Ray and wrote: “Over & out… but who dunnit? #Emmerdale #CorrieDale #Ray.”
Fans quickly flooded the comments with well-wishes and theories about the storyline, with one person suggesting: “Laurel’s done it and Jai is covering it up for her.”
A second fan wrote: “I wanted you to stay! Such a brilliant baddie! You and Jaye were amazing!” while a third added: “NOOOOOOOOO!! Going to miss Ray, he was my favourite character.”
Another commented: “Incredible actor. You’ll be missed, but I hope there’s something lined up for us soon! Best of luck with your future projects.”
Following Ray’s death, the ITV soap confirmed several potential murder suspects, including April, Laurel, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) and his wife Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry), as well as Ross Barton (Mike Parr).
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