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Bitly Knight

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Raysate Chain "Bitly" Knight (May 20, 1995 - September 2001), known as "Angel Doe" while unidentified, was a girl who was murdered in 2001.

Case[]

At the time of her death, Raysate was living with her mother and stepfather, who did not have legal custody of her. Raysate had been placed into her grandmother's care at the age of one after her mother, Connie Knight, refused to enter rehab for a crack cocaine addiction. Connie had also used crack cocaine during her pregnancy with Raysate, which resulted in the girl being born addicted. Due to her chemical dependency, Raysate struggled with severe behavior dysregulation.

Raysate remained in her grandmother's care for a time, but was taken to live with family in Georgia after her grandmother fell ill. At some point afterward, Connie called Raysate's caretakers to ask for her daughter back. The caretakers obliged, under the condition that Raysate was returned to her grandmother. However, Connie and her common-law husband, Raymond Jefferson Jr., kept the child. Two of Raysate's older sisters later testified that the girl was subject to extensive abuse, being kept in a closet most of the time and deprived of food. She would also be burned with cigarettes and beaten with a belt and switch.

One night in early September 2001, Raysate walked into the master bedroom of the home, where her parents were watching a movie. Jefferson then kicked her, causing her head to slam into a heater. Connie told Jefferson that Raysate should be taken to the hospital, but Jefferson refused. The pair then left to dispose of the body, dumping it in a water-filled ditch less than two miles from the home, where it was discovered two days later.

In March of 2002, Raysate's grandmother saw a forensic sketch made by Lois Gibson on the news and immediately suspected that "Angel Doe" was her missing granddaughter. Following the identification, Raysate's parents were found in Lafayette, Louisiana, where they had moved two months after the murder. The couple's other children were taken into state custody while Connie and Raymond faced charges in Raysate's death.

Gallery[]

Media[]

  • The case was covered in season two of Real Detectives in 2017.

Sources[]

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