In the early morning of July 9, 2020, police were first called to a residence on Skipper Bridge Road in Dermott, Arkansas, about 12:22 AM for a disturbance. Officers left after that response, but roughly 45 minutes later they returned to the same address and found Johnny Hayes, 49, lying unresponsive in the front yard with a fatal gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead. His 64-year-old mother, Carolyn Hayes, was also shot; she was treated and released.

The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division, the Dermott Police Department and the sheriff’s offices of Drew and Chicot counties handled the investigation. Two Dermott residents were identified as suspects and arrested on July 11, 2020: 27-year-old Mario Milton, charged with first-degree murder and first-degree battery, and 24-year-old Alicia King, charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution. Both were held in Chicot County pending their first court appearance.

Did anyone in Dermott know the victim or the people involved and have information to share?