Bio

John Rodney McRae was born on November 20, 1934, in Belleville, Michigan. He grew up in Michigan and was still a teenager when he first became known to police. In 1950, McRae was living near the family of 8-year-old Joseph “Joey” Housey Jr. in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. McRae was 15 years old at the time. Reports later described him as a teenager who had been involved in petty theft and joyriding.

After Joey disappeared, McRae joined the search for him. When Joey’s body was later found, McRae became a suspect. He confessed, was tried as an adult, and was sentenced to life in prison.

McRae spent more than 20 years in prison. In 1971, his life sentence was commuted, and he was released on parole on February 2, 1972.

After his release, McRae married Barbara Ann Heckman and had a son named Martin. He later moved to Florida, where he worked as a corrections officer at a juvenile facility. During that time, he became a suspect in several missing-youth cases, but he was not convicted in Florida.

McRae eventually returned to Michigan and settled in Clare County. He raised goats and became involved in youth activities through his son. His name became widely known again after the remains of 15-year-old Randy Laufer were found in 1997 near property where McRae had once lived.

Murder Story

John Rodney McRae’s first confirmed victim was 8-year-old Joseph “Joey” Housey Jr. Joey disappeared from St. Clair Shores, Michigan, on September 9, 1950. McRae lived near Joey and even joined the search after the boy went missing.

On September 23, 1950, Joey’s body was found in a shallow grave. McRae became a suspect, briefly fled to Canada, and was later arrested. He confessed to the killing, though he later changed his story. He was tried as an adult and convicted of murder on February 21, 1951. He was sentenced to life in prison.

McRae spent more than 20 years in prison. In 1971, his sentence was commuted, and he was released on parole on February 2, 1972.

After his release, McRae moved to Florida. During the late 1970s, three young males disappeared in areas where he had lived or worked: Keith Fleming, Kip Hess, and Charles Collingwood. Florida investigators considered McRae a suspect, but their bodies were not found, and he was never convicted in those cases.

McRae later returned to Michigan and settled in Clare County. In September 1987, 15-year-old Randy Laufer disappeared from Harrison, Michigan. For years, his family did not know what had happened to him.

In 1997, human remains were found on property where McRae had once lived. The remains were identified as Randy Laufer. McRae and his son Martin were arrested in Arizona, but Martin was later released from the case. McRae was prosecuted for Randy’s murder.

In 1998, McRae was convicted of Randy Laufer’s murder and sentenced to life in prison. That conviction was later overturned in 2004 because of a legal issue involving a jailhouse conversation. He was retried in 2005 and convicted again. On June 15, 2005, McRae was sentenced to life in prison for Randy Laufer’s murder. Less than two weeks later, on June 28, 2005, he died in prison at age 70.

McRae had two confirmed murder victims: Joey Housey and Randy Laufer. Keith Fleming, Kip Hess, and Charles Collingwood remain suspected victims only because McRae was never convicted in those cases.