In the small community of Garyville, Louisiana, the morning of September 16, 2015, was shattered by a grim discovery. In a grassy area in the 300 block of Sherman Walker Street, the body of a young Black man was found, the victim of an apparent homicide. Authorities were called to the scene at approximately 7:40 a.m., where the man was pronounced dead. It would take two days for the public to learn his name: Kentrelle A. Hayes, a 26-year-old resident of St.
John the Baptist Parish.
The cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Investigators from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office began the arduous task of piecing together the events that led to Hayes's violent end. They learned that he had been with friends on the very street where his body was later found. Sheriff Mike Tregre indicated that robbery did not appear to be the motive for the killing, deepening the mystery surrounding the case.
In the days and weeks that followed, the sheriff's office received numerous tips from the public and began looking into a list of potential suspects. The community was responsive, offering what information they could to aid the investigation. Despite these early leads and the diligent work of law enforcement, no arrests were ever publicly announced in connection with the murder of Kentrelle A. Hayes.
Years have passed since that tragic September morning, and the case has grown cold. The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office now lists the murder of Kentrell Hayes among its cold cases, a silent testament to a life cut short and a quest for justice that remains unfulfilled. The investigation is technically still ongoing, a lingering hope that one day, new information will emerge to bring closure to Hayes's family and hold his killer or killers accountable.
