Venice man accused of chloroforming, killing missing woman told nurse he killed 4: Affidavit

VENICE, Fla. - A Venice man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a Bradenton woman who vanished in 2024 and is believed to be dead.

On Friday, Venice police arrested Ronald Chester Racki, 75, for the murder of 24-year-old Laikyn Marie West.

The backstory:

According to the Venice Police Department, West was last seen alive on September 13, 2024, and her roommate reported her missing on September 16, 2024.

While investigating her disappearance, detectives discovered several calls between Racki and West the morning of September 13.

During an interview, Racki told detectives that he would meet West and pay her for sexual favors and while he admitted to taking her from her Bradenton home to Venice on September 13, he said he drove her back after lunch.

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However, detectives said there was no proof of her being dropped off at home.

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.

Courtesy: Venice Police Department

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 speaking with a detective, the affidavit states that Racki admitted that there were ‘red flags’ in his story and ‘agreed that he might be lying to protect himself and his family.’

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.

Dig deeper:

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 and paid her for sexual favors.

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Detectives said they found photos of West on Racki’s phone 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."

Courtesy: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office

The note went on to state that Racki was ‘oriented’ at the time, and the statement was documented as part of medical care, but detectives say there is no independent corroborating evidence that there are other victims.

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. The detailer also told detectives that the water from the steam cleaner turned an odd color as he cleaned the back floorboard.

What's next:

West’s body has not been located and detectives are still investigating.  

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Venice Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 941-366-8477.