Renay Lynch is the proud mother and grandmother of a family that served as her anchor and driving force during the most difficult chapter of her life. In 1998, Ms. Lynch was wrongfully convicted of a crime she did not commit – a conviction rooted in systemic failings, including coerced confessions, incentivized false testimony, and police misconduct. After serving nearly 26 years behind bars, Ms. Lynch’s innocence was finally proven through a re-investigation that uncovered withheld evidence pointing to an alternative suspect. Exonerated on January 5, 2024, she was the 250th person freed by the Innocence Project.