In autumn 2016 a mother reported her 26-year-old son, Mark Hays of Malvern, Arkansas, missing to the Hot Spring County Sheriff’s Office. Hays, born November 22, 1989, a Poyen High School graduate who enjoyed mud riding and time with family, vanished and an investigation later produced evidence that he had been killed.

By October–November 2017 investigators recovered key evidence: a .22-caliber rifle converted into a pistol from the bottom of a well near a Rockport home, and two shell casings excavated where a decomposed body identified as Hays was found along a Perla roadway. Ballistics linked the casings to the recovered firearm, and multiple witnesses plus an admission that one defendant had been at the scene factored into charges.

Anthony Dion Williams and Shelby Montgomery Jr. were both charged with capital murder; Williams was booked in September with bond set at $750,000 and Montgomery was taken into custody in November 2022 with bond set at $1,000,000. Legal motions after arrest have delayed trial dates.

If anyone knew Mark, his habits, or movements in 2016–2017, please share what might help the investigation.