Search continues for missing Monroe County woman one year later
MONROE COUNTY, Mo (KMIZ)
Saturday marks one year since Monroe County woman 88-year-old Betty L. Hayes went missing.
The family along with Monroe County Sheriff's Office are still actively looking for any leads that can help to find Hayes.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office says they have worked with several other agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol to follow up on multiple leads since Hayes's disappearance a year ago.
Despite still not having answers as of now the sheriff's office says they won't stop until they do.
"We will not rest until we have answers for the family and our community. These investigations sometime take more time than we would like to have answers, but we are determined to find those answers,” said Sheriff Colston of Monroe County Sheriff's in a press release on Friday.
Hayes's family described their loved one as loving, caring, and hard-working among other positive things. Betty Haye's son Michael Haye's, said Saturday, his family might not like what they discover when they find Betty but they're also hopeful that she will be found.
"Granted we've been realistic and our thinking, you know the outcome is not going to be what we want it to be but we're still hopeful that we'll be able to find her and bring her back home and put her to rest," Hayes said on Saturday.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Hayes's, last known contact was with a family member by telephone on the evening of Dec 16. 2021 and was believed to be at her residence located at 17040 Route C in Holliday, Missouri.
"If anyone knew where my grandmother was I would beg and plead they come forward. We want to bring her home. We want to give her the justice that she deserves," Hayes's granddaughter Heather Mozingo said last year.
Haye's family says the day Betty disappeared is one they still remember but one detail was concerning for Betty's son, Mike Hayes.
"I received a phone call that she couldn’t be found I would say I was panicked," Mozingo said last year.
"When I pulled the storm door back completely, I noticed that the inside door of the house was completely kicked in and the door jam was broken on the house," said Mike Hayes, Betty's son.
Although authorities did not find a connection to Hayes's disappearance, according to court documents, John Conde and Joshua Mcnabb were arrested in March for burglarizing betty Hayes's home in 2021 between May 1. and June 30.
Conde reportedly told investigators McNabb would take Hayes out to dinner so Conde would have time to steal from her home.
Conde and McNabb were charged with first-degree burglary, six counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, and felony stealing
The Monroe County Sheriff's office still needs the community's help in finding Betty Hayes.
Betty Hayes is described to be 5'2, weighs 86 pounds, has grey hair and blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a dark coat and dark stocking hat.
The family has now decided to also raise the reward from $10,000 to $30,000 for anyone that knows where Betty L. Hayes is at. For now, the search will continue for the Hayes family and Mike asks if anyone knows where his mother he'd like to share this message.
"If anybody has any information on where mom is or information about a suspect that's put mom in this position where she is we would greatly appreciate them coming forward with that information... we would greatly appreciate it."
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office asks that if anyone has any information about Betty Hayes to contact the Monroe Sheriff’s Office at 660-327-4060 or the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 1-800-525-5555.
