In May of 2019, the life of 41-year-old Taquila Sherell Hayes, a dedicated nurse and mother from Memphis, Tennessee, took a devastating and mysterious turn. On May 21st, she completed her shift at Methodist University Hospital, clocking out for what would be the last time anyone would officially see her. Known to her loved ones as a beautiful and outgoing woman with a heart of gold, her sudden silence was entirely out of character. Following that day, she was a no-call, no-show for all her subsequent shifts, an alarming action for a respected and committed nurse. The last communication her family had with her was a text message in April, leaving them unaware for weeks that something was terribly wrong. Her absence at her nephew's graduation and her failure to contact her twelve-year-old son on his birthday were deeply concerning to her family, as it was unlike her to miss such important family milestones.
The weeks following her last known appearance were filled with confusion and misinformation, which significantly delayed the official investigation into her disappearance. Her husband, Carl Hayes, initially provided a story that Taquila had decided to separate from him and had left their home on Starcross Lane with a friend around June 8th, leaving all her personal belongings behind. He further complicated matters by telling her supervisor at the hospital that she had quit her job when they inquired about her absences. It was later discovered that he had been using her cell phone, impersonating her in communications with others, which gave her family a false sense of her well-being. It wasn't until August 9, 2019, that Taquila's mother, burdened by a growing sense of dread and disbelief in the stories she was being told, officially filed a missing persons report with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation into Taquila's disappearance soon uncovered a series of suspicious activities that pointed toward a grim conclusion. When authorities searched the Hayes' residence months after she was last seen, they found new carpeting and fresh paint in several rooms, and even the carpet in her car had been replaced. Carl Hayes also admitted to throwing away all of her belongings and withdrawing money from her bank account. The couple's marriage was described as troubled, with a history of domestic violence reported by Taquila in 2012. In February 2020, the investigation took a significant turn when Carl Hayes was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. A few days before his trial was set to begin in August 2023, he accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a twenty-year prison sentence. Despite this legal resolution, the case remains a source of deep sorrow for her family, as Taquila's body has never been found, leaving them without the closure of a proper burial. The case of Taquila Hayes is a tragic story of a beloved woman whose life was cut short, leaving a void in the lives of her family and friends. Her disappearance highlights the complexities and heart-wrenching nature of missing persons cases that evolve into homicide investigations, even without the recovery of the victim's remains.
Last Seen: May 21, 2019
