MARY EVANS
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Two days after Christmas 1995, Mary Louise Evans was found shot to death in Alton Park.
Evans had been shot in the head twice and her body dumped on a wooded trail about 15 feet from Bedford Avenue. That location was a popular illegal dumpsite, so when a woman rummaging the area saw a pair of shoes she didn't give it a second thought. Then she found a bloody newspaper nearby. Evans' body was found slumped against a tree with a jacket covering the head. Family members had reported the mom of three missing on December 26, 1995, when she didn't come home that night. The last person to see Evans alive was her son-in-law, Paul Leon Hayden. |
Hayden had been granted a temporary release from a community correctional facility where he was serving time for robbery.
Investigators say Hayden called Evans on December 26th to ask for a ride. She met him at a gas station. That's the last known time she was seen alive. Fourteen hours later, Evans body was headed to the morgue.
Evans' car was found abandoned on North Hickory Street, several miles from where her body was discovered. There was a significant amount of blood inside the car, leading detectives to believe that's where she was killed.
Hayden claimed he had seen Evans briefly that day, then went on his way. But investigators later learned that before meeting with Evans, Hayden had met with her daughter, his estranged wife, and had threatened her with a gun.
However, that area of town was known for robberies and carjackings at the time of Evans' murder. So police are still open to the possibility someone else is responsible for taking Evans' life.
Investigators say Hayden called Evans on December 26th to ask for a ride. She met him at a gas station. That's the last known time she was seen alive. Fourteen hours later, Evans body was headed to the morgue.
Evans' car was found abandoned on North Hickory Street, several miles from where her body was discovered. There was a significant amount of blood inside the car, leading detectives to believe that's where she was killed.
Hayden claimed he had seen Evans briefly that day, then went on his way. But investigators later learned that before meeting with Evans, Hayden had met with her daughter, his estranged wife, and had threatened her with a gun.
However, that area of town was known for robberies and carjackings at the time of Evans' murder. So police are still open to the possibility someone else is responsible for taking Evans' life.
Original Investigating Agency: Chattanooga Police Department
If you have information on this case, please use the form below or call the cold case hotline: 423-209-7470
