MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County Sheriff's Office said a woman found dead on a Mississippi River barge just north of downtown Memphis Saturday has been identified.
Hailey Silas, 22, of Oklahoma was found dead on the barge Oct. 21, 2023. Deputies were called to the river two miles south of the Shelby Forest boat ramp around 7:30 a.m., when a barge traveling the river found Silas dead.
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office said the barge belonged to the Luhr Crosby company based out of Columbia, Illinois. A company spokesperson said the woman was not a company employee, and didn't have any other details to share.
The Sheriff's Office said the barge departed from Memphis around 11 p.m. Friday, where they sat idle in the middle of the river for most of the night, until getting underway around 3 a.m. Saturday. At 7 a.m., the woman's body was found during a routine inspection of the barge.
The Sheriff's Office is still working to confirm exactly how Silas got onto the barge, and how she died. They said they don't suspect foul play was involved.
“In my 22 years working for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, I don’t remember another case of a body being found on a barge, so it’s unusual,” Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner said.
Anyone with information about this incident should call the Sheriff's Office at 901-222-5500.