A 2003 cold case reopened- arrests a suspect

Clay spent years not knowing who committed the crime; until she came across detective Ramirez Ivy

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI)- For law enforcement officers, working a cold case takes a lot of time and going over every detail of every piece of evidence; all to bring the suspect to justice and closure to the victims and their families.

That persistence has paid off for a West Point woman, and the investigator who helped find her suspected attacker. Neshedra Strong Clay finally got some relief, knowing that the man police believe was responsible is now behind bars.

In 2003 ,Clay was a victim of rape and attempted murder. Clay spent years not knowing who committed the crime; until she came across detective Ramirez Ivy.

Ivy took on the case and was able to use DNA evidence to identify 55-year-old Frederick Gandy as a suspect.

Gandy is charged with rape, attempted murder, burglary, and robbery, his bond is set at 950 thousand dollars.

“She was a warrior she was fighting for this moment and she deserves it, this moment, these answers, she didn’t deserve what happened to her but this is definitely the answer she needs,” said Ivy.

The attack happened at Dunlap Acres; a place that many West Point residents call home, but for the survivor it’s a place where a nightmare became reality.

On Tuesday July 19, 2022 West Point Police and the District Attorney’s Office held a press conference, telling the community about the latest developments in the case.

Clay didn’t speak to WCBI directly, but had a message to others during the conference.

“We do a disservice to others in our community when we know people that are on the street that shouldn’t be; it doesn’t matter if they’re a relative or a close friend,” said Clay.

The district attorney’s office worked alongside the police department while working the case.. Clay and assistant district attorney Trina Davidson Brooks say Ivy was a hero.

“The fact that he was able to develop a suspect in three months is just very impressive so as we said earlier in the conference, he’s the hero in this case and deserves all the credit for actually taking on this cold case rape case,” said Brooks.

Gandy’s initial appearance was Friday at 4:30 p.m.