Investigators say witness interview led to discovery of Betty Hayes remains, arrest of her suspected killer
MADISON, Mo. (KMIZ)
An interview with a witness led to investigators finding the remains of a Monroe County woman who disappeared more than a year ago, according to court documents.
The Monroe County prosecuting attorney charged Lyle Miller, 65, with second-degree murder in the death of 88-year-old Betty Hayes. Miller is suspected of killing Hayes on Dec. 17, 2021, by striking her, according to court documents. Missouri State Highway Patrol and Monroe County Sheriff's Office arrested Miller on Friday evening after a search of his property led investigators to find Hayes' remains.
An autopsy should be conducted this week to confirm if those are Hayes's remains. A court date for Miller is yet to be set.
"That investigation led to  the kind of culminated in  what we found on the 28th, last Friday and ultimately an arrest of Mr. Miller," said Sgt. Darrin Haslag with Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
According to the probable cause statement, Monroe County Sheriff Joe Colston interviewed a witness in reference to the Hayes missing person case. The witness said they saw Miller driving quickly away from Madison the night Hayes went missing.
The next morning, the witness said, Miller woke them up asking for help with a brush fire near a pond. While assisting Miller, the witness said they noticed him acting strangely, including probing a pond on his property.
In April of this year, the witness was discussing some human remains found in Paris and questioning whether it could be Hayes. According to the court documents, Miller then said that was not where Hayes was.
A few days later, Miller admitted to the witness he'd killed Hayes by hitting her on the head and put her body in a pond on his land, according to the court documents. This information led to a search of that pond which revealed Hayes' remains and led to Miller's arrest.
"We had contact of our dive team to do a search of the pond," Haslag said. "Once we had reason to believe there there could be remains inside the pond. And I think it was at 1440 hours on July 28, the  dive team made a recovery of human remains from their pond."
According to the court documents, Miller was upset with Hayes because she owed him money for some work he'd done for her.
Miller is held without bond because, according to court documents, he is "a danger to the community or any other person because he is the suspect in a murder investigation, in which it is alleged he killed an elderly female."
 "It's been a long, long two years. So, hopefully to bring some closure to the family ultimately," Haslag said.
Hayes' family describes her as loving, hardworking and caring. She was a nurse for more than 35 years and lived in her farmhouse in Holliday for more than 60 years.
Her son Mike Hayes said Sunday afternoon that he is thankful for all the help.
"We are thankful for the help of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol in finding my mom. At this time we ask that everyone respects our family's privacy as we deal with the emotions this news has brought to us," Hayes said in a written statement.
