A body discovered on Saturday in Tennessee has been identified as an Oklahoma woman who was arrested days earlier for repeatedly calling 911.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Hailey Silas, 22, was found deceased on a barge in the Mississippi River by crew members conducting a routine inspection. Silas’ partner told WMC that Silas was traveling with a man in Oklahoma four days before she was found dead.
Silas was arrested in West Memphis, Arkansas, on October 15 for repeatedly calling 911. WREG reported that she had called 911 from a gas station near the Southland Casino, asking cops to give her a ride out of town because she was scared.
Silas allegedly told responding police officers that she was having a panic attack, that she wanted to talk to her parents, and she was scared. Silas, who was taken to the police station in handcuffs, also asked to be taken to a psych ward, according to WREG.
Three days before she was found dead, Silas pleaded guilty to communicating a false alarm, a charge similar to filing a false report. She was sentenced to time served.
Despite this series of events, Shelby County police said foul play is not suspected in her death. Her cause of death is not yet known.
The Daily Mail reported that Silas’ sister revealed on a GoFundMe page that Silas had a history of addiction.
“Her addiction took her away from everything she loved the most and most important what she was the best at which was being that little boys mommy,” she reportedly wrote.
According to the Commercial Review, Shelby County police Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner said they are seeking to review video — including car dashcam footage — to understand how Silas ended up on the barge.
He said, “In my 22 years of working with the sheriff’s office, I don’t think there’s been any investigation of a body on a barge.”
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[Featured image: Hailey Silas/Facebook]
