Kane Dane
A suspect abducted his former girlfriend, shot her in the face, and later killed himself
A North Carolina mother is still alive this weekend after a horrific ordeal earlier this week when her ex-boyfriend kidnapped her, took her to Virginia, shot her in the face, and then committed suicide.
Crystal Lashon Clay, 34, was kidnapped from her Burlington home on early Tuesday morning by Renaldo Lemar Tate, 34.
Burlington police apparently discovered the kidnapping when Tate’s mother informed and claimed that her son had threatened to harm Clay. According to the reports, her mother was on the phone with Tate and heard Clay’s screams in the background.
The investigators were unable to track the car and the phone
Investigators were unable to locate Clay or her car, and several cell phone pings failed to direct them to the missing woman.
About three hours later, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the shooting in Fancy Gap, nearly 100 miles northwest of Burlington. Upon arrival, they found a dead man and a badly injured woman. The woman, although a hit in the face, was able to tell the MPs that the man was Tate and that he had kidnapped her from Burlington early in the morning.
Eyewitnesses said Tate and Clay were quarreling outside the car before the shooting, and Tate pulled out his weapon, shooting Clay and then himself.
Ellison claimed that she saw Tate and Clay together
Clay’s sister, Quencelyn Ellison, told that Tate was the father of Clay’s youngest son and that Clay ended the relationship a few months ago. But, she said, Tate was seen walking past Clay’s house or sitting next to him in his car with loud music. He said Clay was nervous.
After the shooting, Ellison said, Clay got worried about her 4- and 9-year-olds and asked someone to call her mom because the boys were alone in the house when Tate kidnapped her. Ellison said her sister is still in the hospital on Friday, adding that “she is a fighter.
