Emmerdale finally revealed the identity of Ray Walters' killer on Thursday (January 22), ending a week of 'whodunnit' episodes. In a stunning twist, it was Bear Wolf, the father of Paddy Kirk, who was thought to have been killed by villain Celia Daniels, who had been forced to work on a farm as part of a modern slavery operation.
Ray Walters, played by Joe Absolom, arrived in the village as a seemingly innocent farm machinery salesman but was later exposed as a drug dealer who groomed teenagers April and Dylan into working for him. It emerged that Ray's 'big boss' was his adopted mother, Celia Daniels, and together they ran a cruel slavery ring. Bear Wolf, known as 'Ted' on the farm, was forced to dig the grave of his friend Anya after she died.
When Celia ordered Ray to kill April in exchange for sparing Bear, Ray instead planned to kill Celia and start a new life with Laurel Thomas. He succeeded in stabbing Celia, but soon met his own demise. The final confrontation took place in Paddy's cottage, where Ray threatened Paddy's daughter Eve and then prepared to kill Dylan.
Paddy intervened and saved Dylan, but was overpowered by Ray. Just as all seemed lost, Bear Wolf walked in, having survived Celia's murder plot. As Ray ordered him to leave, Bear got the villain in a chokehold. Despite pleas from Paddy and Dylan, Bear said 'He's got to stop' before Ray slumped to the floor, lifeless.
Viewers took to social media in shock at the reveal. One fan wrote: 'Well I would’ve never guessed it was BEAR!!!! What a twist, I absolutely love it.' Another exclaimed: 'OMG..... IT WAS BEAR!???????? WHAT A FLIPPIN' TWIST!' The dramatic scenes have left fans eagerly awaiting the aftermath of the killing in upcoming episodes.
