Missing Tennessee woman's husband charged with 2nd-degree murder

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) -- The husband of a woman reported missing in Cordova last year has been arrested in connection with her presumed death, authorities confirmed Monday.

Carl Hayes is charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence, a spokesman with the Shelby County District Attorney's office said. Court and jail records show he was indicted by a grand jury on the charges last week and arrested Monday. His bond was set at $2 million.

Taquila Hayes, 41, was reported missing by her mother Aug. 9, 2019, after family members say they hadn't spoken to her for several months. Authorities believe she disappeared sometime between May 21 and 22. She left behind a 12-year-old son.

A search warrant obtained by WREG in September stated that investigators believed Carl Hayes was directly involved in the disappearance of his wife, noting fresh paint and new carpet in the home and drained bank accounts prompted them to search the house and target her husband as a person of interest.

When Taquila Hayes didn't show up for work as a nurse at Methodist Hospital, her supervisor tried texting her but got no response. Finally, the supervisor told investigators, Carl Hayes answered the phone and said Taquila Hayes would not be returning to work.

Carl Hayes told investigators the couple had separated in early June over infidelity issues, admitting to officers that since her disappearance he had accessed her cell phone, switched the SIM card and had pretended to be her when speaking to other people. He said he was the last person to see her alive as she left with a friend.