Kentucky Man Faces Trial Next Year in 2019 Abduction, Killing of April Arnett

A Kentucky man faces trial next year after authorities accused him of abducting and killing a woman in 2019, wrapping her body, storing it under his trailer and dumping it beside a road.

Ryan "Todd" Crawley will stand trial May 17–28, 2025, in connection with April Arnett's death, Scott County Circuit Court announced, according to WKYT. A grand jury indicted him earlier this year on charges of murder, kidnapping and evidence tampering. Crawley pleaded not guilty to the murder and kidnapping counts after entering guilty pleas to evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse.

His attorneys argue that prosecutors filed the murder and kidnapping charges nearly seven years after Arnett's death, raising questions about the case. Court documents allege Crawley's involvement in the kidnapping and killing.

Kentucky State Police learned Aug. 17, 2019, at about 9 p.m. of a body found off KY Highway 2328, known as Old Lexington Road, in Madison County. The remains belonged to Arnett, who had died four days earlier in Scott County, police said.

Documents state Crawley wrapped Arnett's body and kept it under his trailer, according to WLEX. Four others, including his cousin Ronald Crawley, face charges of helping kidnap her.

Authorities say the two Crawleys drove into Madison County over the Old Clays Ferry Bridge with Arnett's body in a tarp tied to cinder blocks. They tried to throw it into the water, but it caught on a guy wire. The men then loaded the body back into their vehicle and left it on the roadside, where police found it.

Ronald Crawley was arrested in Oregon in 2019 after fleeing there. Arnett, a mother of three, was remembered in her obituary for her big heart and infectious smile.