The Murder of Whitney Hostler
For this case, I watched an episode of Snapped. It’s season 33 episode 10.
A young mother is reported missing by her boyfriend.
Background
Whitney Lynn Hostler was born in Dayton, Ohio on July 27, 1995. Whitney’s parents divorced when she was just 2, and she and her sister, Chelsea were sent to live with their father. Whitney reconnected with her mom, Kimberly when she was a teenager and went to live with her.
Whitney was described as edgy. She loved doing her makeup and hair in different ways. She was very creative and also loved to draw and paint.
Whitney Hostler
A New Relationship
By the time she was 15, Whitney began having interests in boys. Her mom said it was not hard for her to meet and attract boys. She began dating a boy named Randy Rider.
In 2017, when she was 22, Whitney discovered she was pregnant. Whitney’s family were all very excited for her.
Whitney decided to move to St. Paris, Ohio with Randy, and try to find a job there. When their daughter was born in the summer of 2018, Whitney moved in with Randy and his parents, Rodney Sr and Valerie Rider. Randy’s brother, Rodney Jr was also living there at the time.
Rodney Sr and Valerie were both retired and were able to look after their granddaughter. It seemed like Whitney had become very close to them.
The Disappearance
Around midnight on October 1, 2020, Randy showed up in the parking lot of the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office. He reported Whitney missing, and said that an argument started between her and his mom, Valerie, on September 30.
Randy went on to say that he ended up leaving the house but the argument continued. He said he had been with friends for the rest of the day. One of these friends was supposed to pick up Whitney, but this friend could not get a hold of her.
The police arrived at the Rider home just after midnight to perform a welfare check. Rodney Jr answered the door and told police that he was the only one at the home. He said his parents had left with their granddaughter several hours earlier to look for new hunting spots.
The Search
As the police were speaking to Rodney Jr, a white pickup truck pulled into the driveway. Rodney Sr, Valerie, and their granddaughter were inside.
Rodney Sr and Valerie were asked about Whitney and when the last time they heard from her was. Valerie said that Whitney had been picked up by a maroon car earlier that afternoon. She couldn’t see the driver because the windows were tinted.
Rodney Sr and Valerie admitted that they had been driving around searching for new hunting spots and then to a gas station to buy Cherry Coke.
The police were very suspicious of this story. They walked around the truck and looked in the windows with their flashlights. In the bed of the truck, they could see wadded-up trash bags with duct tape stuck to them. In the duct tape, there were clumps of blonde hair.
The police also found a two-wheeled dolly with wet mud on the tires, a green rubber glove, and 1 flip-flop.
After this discovery, the police asked if they could search through the house. In the home, the police found a nearly empty roll of duct tape, which was found next to Randy and Whitney’s bed.
A Suspicious Story
When the police confronted her, Valerie claimed that it was a cleaning day and that the hair and duct tape were from her grandchildren. Rodney Jr backed up his mom’s story and said that his daughter dealt with hair loss.
Valerie was very calm during the interview but spoke a lot. Rodney Sr was not calm, and at one point began to hyperventilate. They were brought to the police station for further questioning.
Rodney Jr was interviewed first. It was clear that he had not been involved. He had been at work on September 30 and had only seen Whitney earlier in the day. He was released after his interview.
Rodney Sr said he didn’t know much about the fight but that Whitney and Valerie were arguing and cussing at each other. He said that Whitney had discovered that Randy had been sleeping with another woman and may have gotten her pregnant. Whitney said she was going to take the baby and go back to her mom’s home. Valerie said she had tried to calm Whitney down but she was angry.
Valerie said she saw Whitney leave the home around 11:30 am on September 30. When they were asked, Valerie and Rodney Sr both denied killing Whitney.
Randy’s Story
Randy was interviewed next as he had been at the police station since he reported Whitney missing.
Randy said he overheard Whitney saying that she was taking them to court and that Randy would never see their daughter again. Randy said his parents were the main caregivers of their daughter and that it was never good enough for Whitney.
Randy said he heard noises coming from his room and then it went completely silent. He said his dad came out of the bedroom a few seconds later and told him to leave for a few days and to make sure everyone knew where he was.
The police didn’t have any real evidence that a crime had been committed. Rodney Sr, Valerie, and Randy were released.
Kimberly was notified about Whitney’s disappearance. She said there was no way that Whitney would have left without her daughter or without contacting her about where she was going.
Kimberly said that Whitney was supposed to have signed the papers and move into her new apartment on October 1, but she never showed up.
The Discovery
A man contacted 911 on the afternoon of October 1. He told the dispatcher that he discovered the body of a female lying face down at the bottom of a ravine near Kiser Lake.
The victim was positively identified as Whitney Hostler. Her cause of death was strangulation. She had marks around her neck and petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes.
It was clear to the police that Whitney had been dumped there and killed somewhere else. A log with blood on it was found near her body.
Rodney Sr and Valerie were brought in for another round of interviews. They began to push Rodney Sr as he had appeared nervous in other interviews. He was shown a few of the autopsy photos. He was asked if he knew who had killed Whitney, and he said Valerie did.
Rodney Sr said he had been asleep and woke up to the argument. He said he walked into Whitney’s bedroom and found Whitney lying on the bed with a plastic bag taped over her head.
Rodney Sr said Valerie put Whitney in a trash bag and that he couldn’t help her do it. He did admit to carrying Whitney outside and putting her in the pickup truck. They drove around looking for a location to dispose of the body. He said it was Valerie’s idea to take Whitney to Kiser Lake.
Whitney’s daughter was in the car with them at the time.
The Motive
Valerie was confronted. Valerie said she had her arm around Whitney and that Whitney tried to get her off. She said she must have squeezed too hard and realized that Whitney was not breathing. She had rage came over her when she realized that she may never see her granddaughter again.
Valerie and Rodney Sr were arrested and charged with felony murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse.
After their arrests, the police received several phone calls about Randy being the real killer.
Randy was cooperative and passed a polygraph test. In this episode, the police said that they believed Randy seemed genuinely concerned about Whitney and his parent’s involvement in her disappearance.
The Convictions
In December 2020, Rodney Sr took a plea deal. He was convicted of possession of criminal tools, obstruction of justice, and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 36 months in prison.
Valerie’s trial began in February 2021.
Valerie’s defense argued that Randy was the real killer and that Valerie admitted to killing Whitney to save her son.
The prosecution presented the evidence of Randy Sr’s interview and of Valerie admitting to killing Whitney.
The green glove found inside the truck had Valerie’s DNA inside and Whitney’s on the outside.
On February 25, 2021, Valerie was found guilty of murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse. She was sentenced to 21 years to life.
Valerie and Rodney Rider Sr.
Other
Randy was released from prison on March 28, 2023.
Chelsea was given custody of Whitney and Randy’s daughter.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s sickening to think that Whitney and Randy’s daughter was in the car while they drove with Whitney’s body. If they loved their granddaughter as much as they claimed to they would not have done that. They also would not have killed Whitney and tried to blame their son. Sure, Rodney Sr told the police what happened but 36 months is not long enough time to sit in prison. He drove out to Kiser Lake and helped his wife cover up what they had done. Some may argue that Rodney Sr was afraid of his wife but I think he willingly helped her.
Sources
https://www.examiner.org/missing-champaign-county-woman-found-dead/
https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/valerie-rider-kills-whitney-hostler-over-family-fight
https://wktn.com/st-paris-couple-arrested-after-body-of-missing-woman-was-found
