As the third anniversary of the tragedy approaches, Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson is once again appealing to the community for any answers or tips related to the 2020 murder of Ricky Bailey in Verona Township.
With friends and family offering a $9,500 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest, numerous tips and beliefs have continued to come in since the homicide happened, but law enforcement say they’ve received nothing solid as of yet.
It was after 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 when Bad Axe Police and the Huron County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Rapson Road scene, finding the 59-year-old Bailey on the floor with two gunshot wounds, and his two sons, ages 11 and 20 at the time, also in the house. The youngest son told police that he, his brother and Bailey were in different rooms when he heard a door opening. He went to tell his father, only to find him already on the floor, shot but still alive as two intruders demanded money from him. The intruders ultimately left Bailey for dead.
It’s unclear if the intruders were aware of the 20-year-old son, who hid in another room and waited until they left to call police. Bailey was taken to McLaren Thumb Region Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The sons were not harmed in the attack and described the two intruders as wearing all black ski masks, leather jackets, pants and gloves. While officials are unsure how the intruders arrived and left the scene, they theorized that Bailey’s home was targeted either because his family had only just recently moved into the home, or the intruders targeted the home due to former occupants.
While Sheriff Hanson did announce in late August that the murder weapon was found in Chicago and traced back to a Huron County buyer, there have been no other new breaks in the case. Still, the new discovery has generated other leads, leading to further interviews and search warrants.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Huron County Sheriff’s Office during regular business hours at 989-269-6500, or Huron Central dispatch at 989-269-6421 anytime. Confidential callers can use the confidential TIPS line at 989-269-2861.