Cheryl Murray

The disappearance of Cheryl Louise Murray has left a void in the lives of her loved ones for decades, a persistent question in a series of troubling cases that emerged from Peoria, Illinois, in the mid-1990s. A 43-year-old white woman, Murray was last seen in Peoria on April 1, 1994, and has not been heard from since. At the time she went missing, she was described as standing between 5 feet 1 inch and 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 100 to 115 pounds, with blonde, shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. A distinct physical characteristic was that her right middle finger had been amputated at the first knuckle. She was also known to sometimes use the last name Smith.

Details about the specific circumstances of Murray's last known moments are scarce. One account suggests she was last seen leaving a party in the Peoria area. What is known is that her disappearance was one of several involving women from the same region around the same time, creating a climate of fear and prompting a wide-ranging investigation that would span years. Among the other missing women were Stephanie Gibson, Loretta Tinkham, and Sheryl Murwin, whose cases were all considered by investigators to be potentially connected.

The investigation by the Illinois State Police and the Peoria Police Department soon focused on a potential person of interest: Arlie Ray Davis, a former resident of Peoria. Davis had a documented history of violence against women. During his later trial for a separate murder, several women who worked as prostitutes in Peoria testified that Davis had a pattern of strangling and beating them in the early 1990s. Investigators noted that he reportedly suffered from sexual dysfunction and harbored feelings of inferiority toward women. Family members of Cheryl Murray have stated that she was known to frequent some of the same bars that Davis did.

Davis was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death for the brutal August 1995 murder of Laurie Gwinn. Following that conviction, he became a prime suspect in the disappearances of the other women. The body of Ginny Miles, who vanished in 1993, was found four months later, and DNA evidence linked Davis to her case. In 2001, a skull found in Kickapoo Creek was identified two years later as belonging to Sheryl Murwin, another of the missing women. However, Cheryl Murray and Stephanie Gibson were never found.

Despite the strong suspicions and circumstantial links, Davis was never charged in connection with Murray's disappearance. He consistently maintained his innocence in her case and the others. The investigation was further complicated when Davis died of a heart attack on death row in October 2002, taking any potential confessions or information with him to the grave. His death left the families of the missing women, including Murray's, without the prospect of legal justice or definitive answers.

Over the years, law enforcement has revisited the cold cases of Peoria's missing women. The discovery of various unidentified female remains in the area has occasionally sparked hope for a breakthrough, but none have been identified as Cheryl Murray. The Peoria Police Department and Illinois State Police continue to list her as a missing person, and her case remains open.

As of late 2026, the case of Cheryl Murray is an unsolved, endangered missing person investigation. Decades have passed since she was last seen, but the search for answers continues. Her case is a stark reminder of a dark period in Peoria's history and represents one of thousands of unsolved missing person cases in Illinois. Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Cheryl Louise Murray is urged to contact the Peoria Police Department at (309) 673-4521 or the Illinois State Police.