Forty One Year Old Murder Case Re-Opened
Bessemer, Alabama (United states):
The unsolved case of a Chilton County native who was savagely beaten and murdered in Birmingham 41-years ago has been given new life by a retired Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy.
Dorothy Oaks Hayes, who was killed in 1964, is a mystery that Don Jordan would love to see solved.Jordan, 76, is a Bessemer resident and was recently drafted into a new unit that is looking into so-called cold cases.
He saw many things during his long career, including historical events of the civil rights era. But he never saw a conviction in the Hayes murder case.Jordan is hoping that new technology and advancement in investigation techniques will help current deputies bring closure to the Hayes file.
Unsolved crimes are becoming hot items with prosecutors and law enforcement these days.For instance, the bombing of Bessemer City Hall in 1978, has been re-examined recently.Unfortunately, key evidence from that case has been lost or thrown away.Because there was a trial in that case, resulting in an acquittal, retaining evidence may have seemed unnecessary at the time. The person tried and acquitted cannot be tried again, so why save the evidence?Jordan has an answer."Someone besides the person who was tried may have been responsible," he said. "People had no idea back then of what kind of things can be done today, of course. But, now, with DNA, investigators can do things we never dreamed of. Some thought should be put into how evidence is saved now.
"Jordan and his former partner David Orange worked the Hayes murder case.It was a case of a "lover's lane" type rendezvous gone terribly wrong.Hayes, an attractive young woman, was in the passenger seat of a car with a male companion, parked in a secluded area near Birmingham.Somebody was sneaking around the scene, watching the couple. Shots were fired into the car, one hitting the male driver.
He tried to flee but, crippled by his injury, didn't make it far.Hayes jumped out of the car and fled into the woods. The killer, or killers, ignored the man and followed Hayes. She was chased down and beaten to death, apparently with the butt of a rifle.Her male companion eventually managed to find a telephone and reported the incident. The man, who was married - but not to Hayes - saw his marriage end because of the incident."But he did the right thing," by making the report, Jordan said. He told Jordan and Orange that he heard Hayes screaming, "Please don't kill me too," as she was being pursued."You remember every case really," Jordan said. "But you are forced to remember some more than others. This one stands out to me for a few reasons. There was a lot of media attention on it, we worked very hard on it, and it was never solved."Jordan said he and Orange found spent shells on the ground. They located several suspects, and interviewed a man Jordan describes as "one weird character."In the end, there was not enough tangible evidence to produce a conviction.
Jordan says that one value of solving a decades-old case comes in the form of closure for the victim's family."She (Hayes) probably has family members that would love to finally know what really happened," he said. "I would feel great personally (if the case is solved) because of the work, and for the family, for the people who want closure. I would like to see them learn what happened before we all meet our maker.
"One such family member, sister-in-law, Ruth Oaks, still lives in Clanton and is anxiously anticipating some answers.The cold case squad of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department was started by Sheriff Mike Hale.
Jordan and Orange are serving as consultants to Major Allen Farley, who is overseeing the squad.Hayes is buried in New Salem cemetery in Chilton County.
Sept 24, 2005
Jason Cannon, Clanton Advertiser, AL
Bessemer, Alabama (United states):
The unsolved case of a Chilton County native who was savagely beaten and murdered in Birmingham 41-years ago has been given new life by a retired Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy.
Dorothy Oaks Hayes, who was killed in 1964, is a mystery that Don Jordan would love to see solved.Jordan, 76, is a Bessemer resident and was recently drafted into a new unit that is looking into so-called cold cases.
He saw many things during his long career, including historical events of the civil rights era. But he never saw a conviction in the Hayes murder case.Jordan is hoping that new technology and advancement in investigation techniques will help current deputies bring closure to the Hayes file.
Unsolved crimes are becoming hot items with prosecutors and law enforcement these days.For instance, the bombing of Bessemer City Hall in 1978, has been re-examined recently.Unfortunately, key evidence from that case has been lost or thrown away.Because there was a trial in that case, resulting in an acquittal, retaining evidence may have seemed unnecessary at the time. The person tried and acquitted cannot be tried again, so why save the evidence?Jordan has an answer."Someone besides the person who was tried may have been responsible," he said. "People had no idea back then of what kind of things can be done today, of course. But, now, with DNA, investigators can do things we never dreamed of. Some thought should be put into how evidence is saved now.
"Jordan and his former partner David Orange worked the Hayes murder case.It was a case of a "lover's lane" type rendezvous gone terribly wrong.Hayes, an attractive young woman, was in the passenger seat of a car with a male companion, parked in a secluded area near Birmingham.Somebody was sneaking around the scene, watching the couple. Shots were fired into the car, one hitting the male driver.
He tried to flee but, crippled by his injury, didn't make it far.Hayes jumped out of the car and fled into the woods. The killer, or killers, ignored the man and followed Hayes. She was chased down and beaten to death, apparently with the butt of a rifle.Her male companion eventually managed to find a telephone and reported the incident. The man, who was married - but not to Hayes - saw his marriage end because of the incident."But he did the right thing," by making the report, Jordan said. He told Jordan and Orange that he heard Hayes screaming, "Please don't kill me too," as she was being pursued."You remember every case really," Jordan said. "But you are forced to remember some more than others. This one stands out to me for a few reasons. There was a lot of media attention on it, we worked very hard on it, and it was never solved."Jordan said he and Orange found spent shells on the ground. They located several suspects, and interviewed a man Jordan describes as "one weird character."In the end, there was not enough tangible evidence to produce a conviction.
Jordan says that one value of solving a decades-old case comes in the form of closure for the victim's family."She (Hayes) probably has family members that would love to finally know what really happened," he said. "I would feel great personally (if the case is solved) because of the work, and for the family, for the people who want closure. I would like to see them learn what happened before we all meet our maker.
"One such family member, sister-in-law, Ruth Oaks, still lives in Clanton and is anxiously anticipating some answers.The cold case squad of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department was started by Sheriff Mike Hale.
Jordan and Orange are serving as consultants to Major Allen Farley, who is overseeing the squad.Hayes is buried in New Salem cemetery in Chilton County.
Sept 24, 2005
Jason Cannon, Clanton Advertiser, AL
