Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale sheds new light on Ross Barton and April Windsor’s secret next week, as flashback episodes delve into what they’ve been hiding. But were they involved in the grisly demise of Ray Walters?
Fans clocked a strange moment last week, as Ross brought April back to the village after she’d briefly disappeared. Marlon Dingle and Rhona Goskirk were thrilled to see the troubled teen back, but there was a sense that Ross and April were holding back some key details on where they’d been and why they were together.
Perhaps most notably, April gave a non-committal response when Marlon and Rhona questioned her on whether Ray and Celia Daniels still posed a threat. By this point, Ray and Celia were dead – but did Ross and April secretly know this?
Kicking off on Monday (19 January), Emmerdale’s special rewind week sees Marlon, Rhona and Laurel Thomas each get their own episodes exploring why they’re prime suspects in the case. But Ross and April are also in the mix…

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In Wednesday’s episode (21 January), flashback scenes show Ross clutching a gun. He appears to have a murderous plan in mind – and there are no prizes for guessing who he may have been targeting.
Then in Thursday’s episode (22 January), viewers see more flashbacks showing Ross and April in cahoots together. How much have they been hiding?
“April has always been able to rely on Ross since he returned in 2024,” our Emmerdale source says. “She did briefly consider confiding in him in the early days of her ordeal with Ray, but ultimately held back from opening up at the time. Then Ross spent time with his brother Pete in Liverpool and was away from the village.
“Ross can certainly handle himself, though, so it’d be no surprise if April had eventually turned to him for some support. Did they make a deadly alliance and get rid of Ray? With so many suspects on the list, anything is possible…”

ITV
Related: Emmerdale’s shocking flashbacks to expose Marlon’s sinister Ray plan
Emmerdale bosses have confirmed that Ray’s killer will be revealed in the episode airing on Thursday 22 January. With Ross and April featuring in that episode, we shouldn’t rule them out.
Show producer Laura Shaw recently teased: “Following the discovery of Ray’s body, villagers’ secrets will come out as the mystery surrounding Ray’s death is finally solved.
“Before the end of January, a special week will flash back to the night of the murder, revealing which of the multiple suspects is responsible for Ray’s demise.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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