In the late summer of 1930, 56-year-old Ray Sutton, a respected and courageous Prohibition Agent, vanished without a trace while investigating a bootlegging ring in northern New Mexico. Formerly the sheriff of Clayton, New Mexico, Sutton was a well-known figure in the region. He was last seen on August 28, 1930. On that day, a deputy sheriff from Raton, New Mexico, saw Sutton standing beside his government-issued 1929 Pontiac coach about seven miles south of Raton. The two men exchanged a friendly wave, and the deputy assumed Sutton was waiting for an informant. This brief, innocuous encounter would be the last confirmed sighting of Ray Sutton.
Concern grew when Sutton, a man known for his diligence, failed to file his daily report. A search of his room at the Hotel Seeburg in Raton revealed that his personal belongings, including his clothes and records, were all intact. It was clear he had not planned to leave.
A massive search effort was launched by federal and local authorities, with dozens of volunteers from Clayton and the surrounding areas joining the hunt for the missing agent. The search intensified, and on October 20, 1930, Sutton's government vehicle was discovered hidden in a deep canyon about 20 to 30 miles southeast of Raton. The discovery was grim; bloodstains were found on the carpet in the back seat, suggesting a violent struggle.
The investigation into Sutton's disappearance quickly became a murder inquiry, though his body was never found. Investigators pursued numerous leads across the western United States. A significant break in the case came in December 1930 with the arrest of a man named Perry Caldwell in Pueblo, Colorado. Caldwell was found in possession of Sutton's government identification and had forged a government paycheck issued to the missing agent. A search of Caldwell's hotel room also uncovered a Masonic ring believed to have belonged to Sutton. Despite the compelling circumstantial evidence, which also included Caldwell paying off significant debts without any legitimate income shortly after Sutton vanished, he was not convicted of murder due to a lack of sufficient evidence. It is widely believed that Sutton was murdered by bootleggers, and his death is thought to be connected to the murder of another Prohibition Agent, Dale Kearney, who was killed a month earlier in Colorado. The same gang is suspected of being responsible for both agents' deaths. For over a decade, the investigation continued, but Ray Sutton's body was never recovered, and no one was ever charged with his murder, leaving a lingering sense of injustice and unanswered questions.Last Seen: Aug 23, 1930
