ITV Share By Carena Crawford Jan 22 2026 By Carena Crawford Jan 22 2026 So what now? How Emmerdale will clear up Ray's murder and who's going to take the blame Will Bear just own up? Not likely! Bear Wolf Dylan Penders Paddy Kirk Ray Walters Who Killed Ray? Share By Carena Crawford Jan 22 2026 By Carena Crawford Jan 22 2026 Bear Wolf has killed Ray Walters in Emmerdale flashbacks, but in the current timeline, they still have no idea who did it. Fingers are firmly pointing at Jai after the body was found in the back of his van. But does that mean he’ll take the wrap for it? Here’s what we know about what happens next. Bear didn’t seem to be aware of what he’d done (Credit: ITV) Ray’s killer revealed in Emmerdale tonight The culmination of this week’s flashback episodes aired tonight (Thursday January 22). After spending the past few episodes learning what each of the suspects was hiding, they all continued to act suspiciously tonight. We saw how they all had their opportunity to off Ray, but didn’t. article continues below Read all the latest spoilers Firstly Paddy tried to call the police. But Ray threatened Eve forcing Paddy to walk away. Arthur then confronted Ray again. But instead of murdering him with the rock in his hand, he instead stole Ray’s bag of drugs and ran off. Graham was next to manhandle Ray into the village hall and beat Ray to within an inch of his life. But Joe Tate overheard the commotion and Graham was forced to run, meaning he couldn’t finish the job. At Butler’s Ross was about to head off with his gun when April appeared from one of the barns. She explained everything, but insisted he couldn’t kill Ray because she could never live with turning him into a killer. Ray then stumbled out of the village hall and saw Dylan. He furiously accused him of ruining everything. Ray dragged him into Paddy’s house and began attacking him. Paddy burst in armed with a hammer, but Ray overpowered him and started beating Paddy to death. Then Bear walked in. Alive. Ray tried to manipulate him, but Bear told him to get away from my son. He seemed in a trance as he grabbed Ray repeatedly saying he said he “just wants it to stop”. As Dylan and Paddy begged Bear to let go, he squeezed the life out of Ray saying again: “It’s got to stop”. Ray’s body needs to be moved (Credit: ITV) So what happens next in Emmerdale after Bear killed Ray? As these episodes are flashbacks, we know Ray’s body ended up in the back of Jai’s van. Tomorrow night (Friday January 23) we will see the grim reality of moving a corpse hit home. The body is moved into the back of Jai’s van, but a mistake means he drives it away with the body still inside. And we know that was then discovered by the police. In the present day we also know Paddy and Dylan are maintaining a facade that Bear is still missing. The police are searching for him and Paddy and Dylan are going out every day to look too. Is this genuine? Or are Paddy and Dylan keeping up appearances and actually know where Bear is? Has Bear disappeared again or is this whole thing a set up to cover their tracks? One thing is for sure, they certainly haven’t confessed or told the police anything. Next week, Paddy is forced into a conversation with DS Walsh. He’s nervous about what she has to say, but it’s good news for him when she tells him she’s keen to speak to Celia in relation to Ray’s murder. With the heat off Bear, Paddy dares to hope and tells Dylan as much. But is it wishful thinking? Paddy is going to struggle following the murder (Credit: ITV) Who will pay for killing Ray? Jai is determined to prove his innocence, but police eyes are still firmly locked on him. However the new development means the murder could be blamed on Celia – especially as she’s dead so can’t refute the claims. Really, no one can ever prove what happened. But let’s not forget Moira. She’s already in it up to her neck after being framed by Robert on Joe Tate’s orders for being in cahoots with Celia. But we know Anya’s body is buried on her land wrapped in her blanket. There’s also another body buried next to it – likely Celia’s. So if these bodies are found, Moira is in deep doo doo. But will Ray’s murder then be pinned on her too? And would this force Paddy to confess all? We know Paddy is set for more mental health struggles, could this cover-up be the catalyst? Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns Share Good to Know Share By Carena Crawford Jan 22 2026 By Carena Crawford Jan 22 2026 Next Story
