‘Trust your gut’: Central Texas woman approached by ‘Toy Box Killer’ accomplice details frightening experience
Whitney police confirmed Dennis Roy Yancy left the city and returned to New Mexico
WHITNEY, Texas (KWTX) - The Whitney Police Department announced this week that Dennis Roy Yancy, aka “Handyman Roy,” an accomplice of the “Toy Box Killer” in New Mexico, has voluntarily left the city of Whitney after he approached a woman at Lake Whitney.
Yancy is a New Mexico resident previously convicted of second-degree murder for his involvement as an accomplice with David Parker Ray, commonly referred to as “Toy Box Killer” in 1999.
Yancy was released from prison after serving his sentence in 2021.
A call led to an investigation at his residence in the area.
KWTX spoke with the caller, who explained the “uncomfortable” interaction she had with Yancy. She expressed her desire to remain anonymous.
The woman was swimming at the Loafers Bend swimming area near the Whitney Dam when she noticed an unfamiliar man on the far right side of the swimming area.
She maintained her distance because she was alone when he yelled, “Hi, I’m Roy. They call me Handsome Roy.”
Yancy then began swimming toward her, and she walked back to shore so she would “be able to leave quickly if I needed to.”
“Everyone is looking for me, I have $3 billion in my bank account,” Yancy said.
She explained she was just trying to swim, and he asked how deep she was thinking about going.
She explained the question made her “extremely uncomfortable.”
The woman acted like her husband was calling her, and as she walked away, Yancy said, “Why do you have to look so sexy doing that?”
She left the premises and posted about the incident on the local Facebook group to alert the community.
A community member commented on her post that she had seen another warning post on Facebook regarding “Handyman Roy.”
The woman decided to go back to file a report with the park host and also decided to alert the police about her encounter through a written statement.
The Whitney Police Department and the Hill County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation in which they confirmed they were dealing with Yancy.
Whitney law enforcement received confirmation from New Mexico Law Enforcement that Yancy had returned to their state.
In a statement to KWTX, the caller shared:
“I am speaking out now solely in the hope that other women can benefit from my experience. I strongly encourage women to stay aware of their surroundings, trust their gut instincts, and take proactive steps toward personal self-defense.”
Background on the “Toy Box Killer”
David Parker Ray, known as the “Toy Box Killer,” was an American sex offender and kidnapper in New Mexico.
Operating near Elephant Butte, he used a custom, soundproofed semi-trailer outfitted with horrific torture devices that he called his “toy box.”
Investigators said he would kidnap women, hold them captive, then torture and sexually assault them.
Ray was arrested in March 1999 after one of his victims escaped, and he was convicted of kidnapping and torture in 2001. He died in prison of a heart attack in 2002.
He is suspected by the FBI of murdering between 45 and 60 people, but was never charged with murder because no bodies or physical remains were ever found.
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