Rodney E. Hays, 73, was found dead in the yard of his Mitchell, Indiana, residence after deputies from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department responded to a welfare check on a Tuesday evening. Officers encountered Rodney’s son, 53-year-old Shawn Edward Hays, attempting to leave the property in a pickup truck with a shotgun on the seat. Deputies secured the weapon, detained Shawn Hays, and then discovered Rodney Hays’s body.

Authorities have classified Rodney Hays’s death as a homicide. The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the Indiana State Police and the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office, opened a joint investigation. Shawn Edward Hays was booked into the county jail as the primary suspect following his detention at the scene.

Does anyone in Mitchell have information about Rodney or his son that could help with the ongoing investigation?