HOT SPRING CO., Ark.– A Hot Spring County mother is begging for answers about her son’s unsolved murder case nearly a year and a half since the 26-year-old’s body was found.
Only on FOX16, Pauline Hays talked with us in hopes someone will help her find answers.
Our reporter Price McKeon spoke on the phone with Hot Spring County Sheriff Mike Cash Thursday.
He said Mark Hays’ murder case is still active and open. He said detectives have more than one person of interest but have not released the names of the people yet.
“We found this the first time we found parts of his body the vertebrae December 2016,” said Pauline Hays.
She hasn’t taken off her son’s necklace since then- about 16 months ago.
“My faith (and) God that’s the only thing getting me through,” Hays explained.
Back in September 2016 we reported her son went missing. Nearly 2 months later his body was found in Hot Spring County.
“Talking about him helps but not having answers hurts,” she continued.
Nearly a year and a half later this mother is still searching for answers about who shot and killed her son.
“This is where I contacted the detective and he’s not contacting me back through text” she said.
That’s something this mother said started only about 10 days ago. It’s new and making her nervous.
Hays said, “Might not always be out for everybody else but yes every day there’s tears every day. There are days that it’s hard to function.”
So, we reached out to the Hot Spring County Sheriff to try to help this grieving mother find any answers.
We talked on the phone with Sheriff Mike Cash and as of this week he said his detectives are still waiting on results to return from the State Crime Lab.
Hays said, “I found a piece of jawbone with three human teeth in it located where his body had been discovered.”
She said that discovery was made on the one year anniversary of when his body was found.
“My family lives in terror constantly,” she told us.
She explained that’s because no one has been arrested.
No matter how long it takes though, Mark’s mom will maintain her mission to find justice.
Sheriff Cash told us there are only two detectives to work cases in the county. He said the one assigned to this case just recently returned from handling a family emergency.
HSCO has not released the names of the persons of interest.
Cash said a detective should call Hays by Friday.
