A family is left searching for answers after a 22-year-old woman was found dead on a barge more than 400 miles from home.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman as Hailey Silas of Oklahoma City. Her body was found Oct. 21 on a barge on the Mississippi River near Memphis.
Silas’ ex-boyfriend Cesar Perez is demanding answers about what happened to her. The two had previously been together for more than seven years and have a 4-year-old son together.
“Why her? Why did it have to be her?” Perez told WMC. “I just want to know the truth. What happened? What exactly happened?”
Perez said he is now struggling with how to tell his son that his mom won’t be coming back.
“I’m just trying to process this whole thing … kind of want to figure out what’s going to be the best way to let her son know his mother is no longer here,” he told WMC.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Silas’ body was found by crew members on a Mississippi River barge during a routine inspection. The crew turned the boat around, docked, and called for help.
The sheriff’s office is calling it an “extremely unusual” investigation.
“In my 22 years working in working for the sheriff’s office, I don’t think there’s been an investigation of a body on a barge, so that’s extremely unusual for us,” Anthony Buckner, SCSO chief deputy, said in a news conference.
Officials said they are working to figure out how Silas got on the barge.
West Memphis police said Silas was arrested just days before her death. Police said she called 911 from a gas station, asking officers to give her a ride because she was scared of something. The Crisis Intervention Team responded.
She was charged with a misdemeanor of communicating a false alarm.
Her body was found on the barge days later.
Silas’ death is still under investigation by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said they do not suspect foul play.
But Perez said he doesn’t believe Silas would hurt herself. He said she was not alone in Tennessee; Silas was traveling with a man she met back home in Oklahoma.
Adding to the mystery, Silas’ mother LaRena Darrow told WREG her daughter’s body was found without any identification or a phone. However, Darrow said she has called her daughter’s phone since her death, and a man answered.
Silas’ sister created a GoFundMe page to help raise money for funeral costs. On the page, her sister said Silas was “So patient, so understanding, so beautiful inside and out, and whoever IS responsible for this will have their day of judgement.”
Silas’ loved ones are begging to know what really happened, especially for the sake of her young son.
“She could always find a way to bring a smile to your face,” Perez said. “She was always so happy around her son. She was one-of-a-kind, for sure.”
