Ryan “Todd” Crawley is accused of killing April Arnett in 2019 after earlier pleading guilty to evidence-related charges.

GEORGETOWN, Ky. — A Kentucky man accused of kidnapping and killing 39-year-old April Arnett in 2019 is scheduled to stand trial in May 2027, nearly eight years after her body was found beside a northern Madison County road.

The trial date gives the long-running case a new courtroom deadline after years of arrests, charges and added indictments. Ryan “Todd” Crawley, 42, of Sadieville, faces murder, kidnapping and evidence-tampering allegations tied to Arnett’s death. Authorities say Arnett, a Lexington mother of three, was killed in Scott County and later found in Madison County, creating a case that moved across county lines and through several rounds of court filings.

Crawley appeared in court in May, when a judge set his trial for May 17-28, 2027. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder and kidnapping charges. Prosecutors allege the killing happened on Aug. 13, 2019, four days before Kentucky State Police were notified that a possible body had been found off Kentucky Highway 2328, also known as Old Lexington Road. Police said at the time that the remains were those of an unidentified female. The state medical examiner’s office later identified the body as Arnett, 39, of Lexington.

The new trial schedule follows a February indictment that placed Crawley at the center of the death investigation. The indictment alleges he killed Arnett in Scott County, then concealed evidence by wrapping her body and storing it under his trailer. Investigators have not publicly said exactly how Arnett died, and that remains one of the major unanswered questions in the case. Crawley had previously pleaded guilty in Madison County to evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse, but those convictions did not end the wider investigation into who was responsible for Arnett’s death.

The case drew new attention after additional defendants were charged. Four other people, Doug Crawley, Bridgett Lyons, Jenny Keller and James Watson, are accused of taking part in the kidnapping of Arnett. Court records cited by local reporting say Doug Crawley, Watson and Lyons also face allegations that they helped destroy or remove evidence. Keller was accused in 2025 of helping arrange the kidnapping. The charges against the other defendants gave prosecutors a broader account of what they say happened before and after Arnett disappeared.

Authorities have described a grim path from Scott County to Madison County. Court citations say Ryan Crawley and Ronald “Doug” Crawley drove into Madison County with Arnett’s body wrapped in a tarp and cinder blocks attached. The citations say the men tried to throw the body from Old Clays Ferry Bridge, but it became stuck on a guy wire. Investigators say the men then placed the body back in the vehicle and dumped it beside Old Lexington Road, where it was found on Aug. 17, 2019.

Kentucky State Police initially opened the case as a death investigation. On Aug. 18, 2019, state police said the body had been recovered near the side of the road and sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Frankfort. Two days later, police identified the woman as Arnett and said the cause of death was pending. In September 2019, police sought the public’s help locating Ronald Crawley, who was wanted on evidence-tampering and corpse-abuse allegations. He was arrested in Oregon in October 2019.

For Arnett’s relatives, the years since 2019 have moved slowly. Her sister, Cara Parsons, has described learning that Arnett had been found dead as “a punch in the gut.” Parsons said Arnett loved her children and had a bright presence in her family’s life. “She loved her children. She loved them until the day she died,” Parsons said in an earlier interview. The family has also said the arrests brought a sense that the case was moving forward, even as the grief remained.

The prosecution still must prove the murder and kidnapping charges in court. Crawley is presumed innocent of those pending charges unless convicted. His earlier pleas to evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse are separate from the murder case now headed toward trial. Defense attorneys have raised questions about the timing of the newer charges, which were filed years after Arnett’s death. The long gap is likely to shape arguments over witnesses, records and what investigators learned after the first arrests.

The next stage is expected to focus on pretrial hearings, evidence disputes and the cases against the other defendants. Prosecutors will have to explain how they believe the kidnapping, death and disposal of Arnett’s body fit together. Defense lawyers may challenge the timeline, the statements of co-defendants or the strength of evidence gathered after 2019. Any plea talks, motions or witness issues before 2027 could change the path of the trial, but the May date now gives the case a firm courtroom target.

As of Monday, the case remains pending in Scott County Circuit Court, with Crawley’s trial set to begin May 17, 2027. The charges against the other defendants also remain part of the wider prosecution tied to Arnett’s death.

Author note: Last updated May 25, 2026.