Billy Joe Hays, a 57-year-old male, was found dead inside his home in Beaumont, Texas, on October 18, 2019. The Beaumont Police Department received a call about shots fired in the 600 block of Elgie Street at 11:49 p.m. on that Friday night. Upon arrival, officers discovered Hays deceased from a gunshot wound. Witnesses at the scene reported that a suspect entered the residence, shot Hays, and fled west on Elgie Street in a silver, older model SUV.
The police have been actively investigating the case and have requested that residents in the neighborhood with surveillance cameras check their footage between 11:00 p.m. on Friday and 12:30 a.m. on Saturday for any information that could assist in the investigation.
Despite the ongoing investigation, no arrests have been made in connection with the murder of Billy Joe Hays. The case remains one of the three unsolved murders in Beaumont from 2019. The police believe that there are witnesses who have information but are not coming forward. This lack of cooperation has hindered the progress of the investigation. The Beaumont Police Department continues to urge anyone with information to contact them or Southeast Texas Crime Stoppers, offering a cash reward for anonymous tips that could lead to an arrest.
Billy Joe Hays was an accused squatter, and his body was found inside a home he claimed to have purchased with a FEMA grant. This claim was part of a story featured by local news about a month before his death. The circumstances surrounding his death have raised questions and concerns within the community, but so far, no significant breakthroughs have been made in the case. The police continue to investigate and seek any leads that could help solve the murder of Billy Joe Hays.
