James Hayes, 49, was found dead on July 25, 1976, in Sandusky, Ohio. His body lay in a field between the Maples Motel and the old Cedar Point Roadway on Cleveland Road, and he had sustained three gunshot wounds to the head.

Hayes had been seen in the early morning hours drinking in the Searsville area until about 5:00 am; what happened after that is unknown but his life was violently ended soon after. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office investigated, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation continues to list the case among its unsolved homicides. Authorities have appealed for public assistance and sought tips, but no significant leads have been reported publicly.

Does anyone who was in the Sandusky or Searsville area that night remember seeing James Hayes or anything unusual between the Maples Motel and Cleveland Road?