United States Attorney Eric Melgren
District of Kansas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News releases are available at www.usdoj.gov/usao/ks/

Contact: Jim Cross
Phone: (316) 269-6481
Fax: (316) 269-6420
June 2, 2006

 

FEDERAL KIDNAPING CHARGE FILED AGAINST INDEPENDENCE COUPLE

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Federal prosecutors here filed a criminal charge Friday accusing an Independence, Mo., couple of kidnaping and sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl from Arcadia, Kan.

Richard Dean Davis, 41, and Dena Delores Riley, 39, were charged with one count of kidnaping.

“The indictment states that the 5-year-old victim in this case was seriously injured during a sexual assault after defendants Davis and Riley abducted her,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren. “It also states that defendant Davis was the half-brother of the child’s mother, a fact he played upon to persuade the child’s mother to provide him and defendant Riley a place to stay for the night, as well as to permit Riley and Davis to be near the child.”

Davis and Riley already are in custody in the state of Missouri on state homicide charges. State and federal prosecutors are working on plans to coordinate the handling of the two cases.

According to the criminal complaint filed in federal court:

– On May 24, 2006, Davis and Riley appeared at a home in Arcadia, Kan.. Davis introduced himself as the half-brother of the woman who lived there, and Riley as his fiancee. Although Davis’ half-sister was aware that Davis had been in prison, he told her that he had “turned his life around” and become “religious.” He told her that he and Riley were planning to be married. The woman invited the couple to spend the night at her house.

– In fact, on May 22, two days before Davis and Riley arrived at his half-sister’s house in Arcadia, they had been charged with homicide in the state of Missouri. On May 23, a federal warrant for their arrest had been issued charging them with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

– On May 25, Davis’ half-sister went to work, leaving her husband and the child to travel with Davis and Riley to Pittsburg, Kan., about 30 miles away, to visit another relative.

– Davis and Riley were driving a red 1994 GMC pickup truck bearing Missouri tags. The child was allowed to ride with them. After arriving at the house in Pittsburg, the group decided to go to a nearby pizza parlor for lunch. The 5-year-old again was permitted to ride with Davis and Riley. Upon arriving in the parking lot of the pizza parlor, Davis and Riley stated that they would rather go to McDonald’s and they would take the 5-year-old with them.

– After lunch, Davis and Riley did not return with the child. Later in the afternoon, the family notified police the child was missing.

– At approximately 4:45 p.m. on May 25, Riley placed a 911 call to the Barton County Sheriff’s Office in Lamar, Mo., and told dispatchers that she and Davis were going to kill themselves and were in the process of drinking and taking a lot of drugs. While she was on the phone, Davis drove the pickup truck into a ditch and could not get it out.

– When police arrived at the scene they arrested Davis and Riley and recovered the 5-year-old. It was determined that the 5-year-old had been seriously injured during a sexual assault and the child was taken to a hospital in Missouri.

If convicted, Riley and Davis face a penalty of not less than 20 years and not more than life. The Federal Bureau of Investigation prepared the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken is prosecuting.

As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The criminal complaint merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.