In the spring of 2015, a disturbance call to the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office would mark the beginning of a lingering mystery in Conway, Arkansas. On the evening of May 19th, a resident of Waterfront Cove reported a man in her yard who was behaving erratically, cursing and striking her house with a boat paddle while drinking a beer. Shortly after this initial call, a second report came in from a neighboring home at 146 Waterfront Cove, this time accompanied by the sound of a gunshot.
When deputies arrived at the second residence, they found 40-year-old Charles Oakey, a White male, deceased on the front porch from an apparent gunshot wound.
The investigation into the shooting commenced immediately. The homeowners of the residence where Oakey's body was discovered, 47-year-old Brian N. Gay and 46-year-old Kaye L. Brown, were taken into custody at the scene. However, their arrests were not directly related to the death of Charles Oakey. Instead, they were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. While the circumstances surrounding Oakey's death were treated as a homicide investigation, no suspects were immediately named in connection with the shooting itself.
In the years that have followed, the case of Charles Oakey's death has remained without a definitive resolution. Despite the initial arrests at the scene on unrelated charges, no individuals have been formally charged with his murder. The investigation into the events of that May evening has been ongoing, but details regarding any potential suspects or the motive behind the shooting have not been publicly released by authorities. The story of Charles Oakey's final moments, which began with a disturbance call and ended with a fatal gunshot, continues to be an unsolved chapter in the community.
