On the hot summer night of July 13, 2006, Ryan Livingston was walking down West Walnut Street after a sunset concert at SIU. He had met with some friends at their house after the concert, but had left on foot that evening.
He had plans with his older brother, Randy, who was expecting him later that night. When some time passed and he had not heard from Ryan, Randy called him. When Ryan answered the phone, he begged for help. Randy then called the police, who found Ryan on the 300 block of West Walnut Street. He had been stabbed in what is thought by police to be a robbery gone wrong.
Advertisement
“It was reported that this was related to a robbery,” Carbondale PD Deputy Chief Matthew Dunning said. “Mr. Livingston was able to give a description to officers before his death indicating that two Black males attempted to rob him.”
Ryan, at the time of the attack, was able to give investigators a limited description of the men who jumped him. He said that they were two Black males, one with a lighter complexion and the other with a backwards hat. Ryan later died on the operating table after an attempt to save his life.
Ryan had just started a job at Hardee’s and was starting to plan out his life. His mom, Denise Livingston, is still fighting for him almost two decades later.
“He would have had his whole life ahead of him,” Denise Livingston said. “And I really had high hopes for him, because he was so smart and I think he was really trying to better himself.”
Advertisement*
Since the young father had succumbed to his injuries the next day, he left behind a confusing case for his grieving family and investigators.
“I’m frustrated and disappointed that the Carbondale Police Department has not ever resolved our case,” Livingston said. “There are suspects, but nothing has ever been proven and resolved, and it’s frustrating…The case is probably sitting on a shelf collecting dust, so to speak.”
Dunning says he shares Denise Livingston’s desire for movement in the case.
“I empathize with her and share her desire to make movement in Ryan’s case,” Deputy Chief Dunning said. “I was working here when that happened back in 2006.”
There have been limited updates to the case publicly since Ryan’s murder, much to the frustration of his mother, who has worked behind the scenes to aid investigators.
“18 and a half years now and nothing,” Livingston said. “I continue to investigate on my own and I do what I’m able to do. Of course, I don’t have the resources that the police do.”
Dunning says The Carbondale Police Department has been working on the case recently, holding an interview with a potential suspect in February of 2024. They are working on leads and ask the public to turn any information they may have to CPD. They are willing to follow any leads they’re given.
“Detectives have followed up on all known leads at this time,” Deputy Chief Dunning said. “We will continue to follow up on whatever new information we learn.”
Denise hasn’t stopped working towards resolution in her son’s case. Even after multiple surgeries, a heart attack and a roll-over car accident, she has not stalled.
“I’m 75 now, and I don’t know how many years I’ve got left, because I’ve got so many health issues now, but I’m not going to stop fighting until the day I die. If I keep going, I will do it for my son,” she said.
Advertisement