Oklahoma woman found dead on a Tennessee barge called 911 before death
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) —A woman whose body was found on a barge in the Mississippi River last weekend had repeatedly called 911 asking for help in West Memphis, Arkansas before her death, records show.
On Tuesday, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman who was found on the barge as 22-year-old Hailey Silas from Oklahoma.
A sheriff’s department spokesman said so far, they don’t believe the death is the result of foul play, but right now they have no idea how she got on the barge or who she is.
“I can tell you right now we do have far more questions than we do have answers,” said Anthony Buckner.
What brought the Oklahoma woman to the border between Arkansas and Tennessee so far remains a mystery.
But Crittenden County, Arkansas court records show that Silas was taken into custody by police in West Memphis on Oct. 15. A police report says she repeatedly called 911 from a gas station across from Southland Casino, asking police to give her a ride out of the city because she was scared of something.
When police arrived she told them she was having a “panic attack.” They took her to the station, where she asked to be taken to a “psych ward.”
Silas pleaded guilty last Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of communicating a false alarm, a charge similar to filing a false report. She was given a suspended sentence.
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“So far to me there’s been no reports of cameras aboard the vessel,” Buckner said. “But certainly, we will be checking with T-DOT to see if there’s any video footage we need to recover that could maybe offer some kind of clue as to how she ended up on the barge.”
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A barge owned by a company out of Illinois reported finding a woman’s body on top of the craft. The Coast Guard reported it to local authorities around 7:30 a.m. Saturday. The barge was on the Mississippi River near Memphis, two miles south of the Shelby Forest boat ramp.
The barge, which was headed north, had departed from Memphis shortly after 11 Friday night.
If you have info, call 901-222-5600 or Crime Stoppers at 901-379-7625.
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