A 57-year-old man is in jail and Battle Creek Police have submitted an open murder warrant request in the death of the man’s 61-year-old wife.
Back on Feb. 2 of this year, police responded to a home in the 400 block of Orchard Lane for a welfare check on a woman who lived there. The 911 call came from a man who lived at the home.
When officers arrived, they found the woman, Susan Hayes, dead inside the home. They considered her death suspicious after the initial investigation, and searched for the man – her husband, Frank Hayes – who called 911 after leaving the home.
Several hours after police responded, the Lapeer Police Department found Frank Hayes, and turned him over to the BCPD. He was lodged in Calhoun County Jail for a PA-53 violation – a court-imposed order due to previous domestic assault – in which Susan Hayes was listed as the protected party.
On Thursday of this week, the Medical Examiner’s Office notified the BCPD that Susan Hayes’ autopsy was complete, and her death was ruled murder. Based on the ME’s findings, and other parts of the investigation, police submitted the open murder warrant request to the Calhoun County Prosecutor’s Office.