Who was Hailey Silas? Woman found dead on Mississippi barge was arrested for repeated 911 calls over panic attack
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: The Shelby County Sheriff's Department has identified of the woman whose body was found on a barge in the Mississippi River last weekend as Oklahoma native 22-year-old Hailey Silas.
According to records, Silas repeatedly dialed 911 in West Memphis, Arkansas to request assistance before she died.
According to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, the body of Silas, who lived in Luther, Oklahoma, about 27 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, was discovered on Saturday, October 21, just after 7 in the morning.
There is still no explanation for what led the Oklahoma woman to the Arkansas-Tennessee border. However, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office does not believe there is any evidence of foul play.
Why was Hailey Silas arrested?
Records from West Memphis, Arkansas indicate that Silas was taken into custody by police on October 15, according to the local CBS affiliate WREG.
According to a police report, she contacted 911 multiple times from a gas station across from Southland Casino, claiming to be afraid of something and pleading with them to provide her with a ride out of town.
She reported to the police that she was experiencing a "panic attack" when they arrived. The authorities brought her in handcuffs to the station and asked if she could talk to her parents.
Silas requested to be transferred to a "psych ward," and stated she was afraid and confused and needed to speak with her parents.
Silas entered a guilty plea on a misdemeanor charge of sending a false alarm, which is akin to filing a fake report.
Records state that Silas received a suspended sentence for time served. Additionally, a psychological examination report has been filed with the courts, but its contents have not been verified.
She was discovered dead three days later.
What did Hailey Silas' parents say about her tragic death?
Authorities claimed that Silas was not found with any identification, but LaRena Darrow, her mother, claimed that someone had her phone. Darrow further alleged that a man responded when she tried to call her daughter, but she had no idea who he was.
"I don’t want to think about my baby being hurt like that and nobody being there to save her or being there to help her," Darrow remarked.
The grieving mother further said, "I had spoken with her Thursday night and she had send me a couple pictures of her on a bridge and she looked so happy."
"And she was about to go sing karaoke and that was the last time I talked to her."
"She was an amazing mother. My grandson is missing out on such a wonderful person. She was such an angel," Darrow added.
A friend of Silas's named Sidney Hernandez commented, "The scenario doesn’t make sense to me. I think there may be more to it," per KOCO-TV.
Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner of the SCSO stated, "In my 22 years of 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."
"The barge departed from Memphis on Friday night shortly after 11 pm. The woman was found by crew members during a routine inspection of the vessel around 7 am Saturday morning while they were traveling up river."
