Jerry Vinson Hayes, 77, of Taylorsville, North Carolina, was found dead in a wooded area off Robinette Road in the Little River Community on or about August 9, 2018. Investigators determined he had been beaten and shot; the medical examiner listed blunt force trauma to the head and a gunshot wound to the chest as the causes of death. Initial reports said he may have been deceased for about three days before his body was discovered.

Hayes was born May 17, 1941, in Iredell County and was described as a devoted family man who enjoyed hunting and the outdoors. He is survived by five sons, 33 grandchildren, and 39 great-grandchildren. Randy Darryl Shumake, 51, of Hiddenite, was identified as a suspect and was arrested on August 10, 2018, and charged with first-degree murder.

If anyone in the Taylorsville or Little River area knew Hayes, saw him in early August 2018, or has information about his movements or the area off Robinette Road, please come forward.