A 75-year-old Venice man has been arrested and charged with the murder of a 24-year-old Bradenton woman who went missing in 2024.
Laikyn West was first reported missing on Sept. 16, 2024. Her housemate told investigators that she was picked up in a white sedan on Sept. 13 and was reported missing after she didn't return, missing a scheduled flight.
Ronald Racki, West Had Arranged to Meet Before Her Disappearance, He Admitted to Paying Her for Sexual Favors
Bradenton police launched a joint investigation with the Venice Police Department, with continued support from the FBI, Homeland Security and the State Attorney's Office.
In December 2024 the investigation, including phone records, digital data and witness information, led Bradenton police to Ronald Racki, a now 75-year-old man who lives in Venice. Police say evidence indicates West was last alive in the city of Venice.
Evidence also shows that West and Racki knew each other and had arranged to meet, officials say. It's believed that Racki was the last person to see West alive.
According to an affidavit, call detail records from T-Mobile showed multiple calls between West and Racki between May 31, 2024 and Sept. 13. During the investigation, a detective had contacted Racki, who stated that "he would meet West and pay her for sexual favors."
West Had a Journal Entry of a Man Who Paid Her $925 to Allow Him to Chloroform Her During Sex
As the investigation continued, on December 19, 2024, a detective said he confronted Racki with one of West's journal entries in which she wrote that a man paid her $925 to allow him to chloroform her during sex. Racki, according to a probable cause affidavit, admitted he owned chloroform because he used it to clean car seats but said he "never really chloroformed her."
While detectives said Racki admitted he was the last person to see West alive, he suggested that West may have overdosed or had a medical condition and speculated that she may have tossed her phone.
Later that day, detectives seized Racki's phone and secured his truck and office pending a search warrant and that's when, according to the affidavit, Racki admitted that he chloroformed West.
Investigators Found Explicit Photos of West in Racki's Office Bound with Handcuffs, with Hypodermic Needles Visible Nearby
Documents say Racki admitted that on Sept. 13, he picked up West at her Bradenton residence, drove her to Venice for lunch and later drove her back to Bradenton. However, according to the affidavit, investigators noted no witnesses reported seeing West in that area, and none of Racki's registered vehicles were captured by license plate readers in the area.
Documents state, in part, that West's last answered call occurred on Sept. 13, and there is no further outgoing activity on her phone. No financial transactions, phone activity, contact with family or friends or social media activity has been recorded by West since Sept. 13, 2024, according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement database checks and inquiries to hospitals, shelters and jails, as well as review of credit/ATM usage and travel records have been "unavailing," and there is no evidence that she was with anyone but Racki the day she went missing.
Racki Allegedly Told a Nurse 'I Killed Four Women Six Weeks Ago'
During a search of Racki's phone, detectives said they found photos of West in which she was naked and bound with handcuffs and cable ties in Racki's office, with hypodermic needles visible nearby.
The next day, Racki reportedly tried to take his own life and was taken under protective custody to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where he stayed for more than a week. Detectives said they got his medical records with a warrant and found a nurse's note in which Racki reportedly said, "I killed four women six weeks ago."
In April 2025, a detective interviewed a car detailer who stated that he had deep-cleaned a blue pickup truck for Racki around September 13, 2024, and observed a suspicious stain on the truck's rear floor and reported an unusual odor in the truck.
Racki was arrested at 5:43 a.m. Friday and charged with second-degree murder. He remains at the Sarasota County Jail. West's body has not been found. However, Florida law allows investigators and prosecutors to "move forward when the evidence supports that a homicide occurred and identifies the responsible party, even when remains have not been recovered."
