A search that began with a wife’s worried phone call in June has ended with confirmation that human remains found in Cherokee Village last month belong to a 77-year-old man who vanished while apparently hiking near his home.
The Cherokee Village Police Department said Michael Leroy Hays was reported missing on June 10 after his wife told officers she had not seen him since roughly 10:30 a.m. the previous day. She told police Hays had left without his medications and provided a description of his vehicle.
A friend and neighbor told investigators Hays was a military veteran who frequently hiked and searched the area with a metal detector.
Officers issued a be-on-the-lookout alert and began searching the west end of Cherokee Village. Lt. Wiles requested Sharp County Dispatch ping Hays’ cellphone; the last known pings placed him in the general area of Arkansas Highway 175 on June 10 and 11, though police noted the pings provide only an approximate location. Sharp County Search and Rescue joined the effort but did not locate Hays or his vehicle.
On June 17, after what police described as many hours of searching, officers found human remains on Coyote Drive believed to be Hays. His 2002 green Jeep Wrangler was found about a quarter-mile from the site. The remains were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for identification.
On July 10, Detective Sgt. John Hutchins was notified by the crime lab that the remains were positively identified as Hays.
Police Chief Monte Lane said investigators believe Hays was hiking in the area at the time of his death.
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