Emmerdale’s Ray Walters was killed off in Monday’s episode (January 5), and the ITV soap has confirmed potential murder suspects

Emmerdale actor Joe Absolom has broken his silence following the shocking demise of his character.

The antagonist made his debut on the ITV soap last year, quickly establishing himself as a ruthless narcotics dealer who ensnared Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle) and his girlfriend April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) in his criminal network. He also manipulated April into believing she had committed murder.

During last week’s episodes, Ray brutally slayed his adoptive mother, Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths), a fellow criminal mastermind orchestrating their sinister drug enterprise and worker exploitation scheme on their farm. Ray plunged a knife into his abusive mother’s back, eliminating her before declaring himself “free” at last.

With Celia eliminated, he harboured hopes of beginning afresh with Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy), but his dreams were dashed.

Disgusted by the torment Ray and Celia inflicted on April and Dylan, Laurel immediately ended their relationship, leaving him desperate, and barred him from entering her home, according to the Daily Star.

Emmerdale has confirmed the death of Ray Walters (Image: ITV)

Monday’s episode (January 5) opened with the chilling sight of a mysterious corpse being hauled across the ground, soon identified as Ray, launching a fresh murder mystery. Initially, no clues emerged about the circumstances or perpetrator.

Later scenes showed Ray’s lifeless body, eyes still wide open, partially concealed beneath a bag being relocated by an unidentified individual.

In a shocking twist during the explosive Corriedale episode, Ray’s body was discovered in the back of Jai Sharma’s (Chris Bisson) van amidst a fatal crash.

The question on everyone’s lips is – how did the corpse end up there?

Emmerdale’s Ray was killed in a new ‘whodunnit’ twist (Image: ITV)

Actor Joe Absolom, who portrayed the character of Ray Walters, took to Instagram to bid farewell to his role.

Sharing a snapshot of himself as Ray, he captioned it: “Over and out… but who dunnit? #Emmerdale #CorrieDale #Ray.”

The post sparked a flurry of responses from fans, with one speculating: “Laurels done it and Jai is covering it up for her.”

Another fan lamented: “I wanted you to stay! Such a good baddie! You and Jaye smashed it!”, while another added: “NOOOOOOOOO! ! Gonna miss Ray, favourite character.”

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Celia and Ray are both now dead in Emmerdale (Image: ITV)

One follower praised Absolom, saying: “Amazing actor. You will be missed, so I hope you have something in the pipeline for us soon! Good luck with your future”.

Following the demise of Ray, the ITV soap has hinted at potential murder suspects, including April, Laurel, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) and his wife, Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry), and Ross Barton (Mike Parr).

The mystery remains – who killed Ray Walters in Emmerdale?