The terrifying saga of Charlie Barker began in August 1998. Living as a sad, lonely, and recently widowed retired truck driver in Bossier Parish, Barker had received a large insurance settlement after his wife was tragically killed by a drunk driver. He was looking for companionship.
The Personal Ad That Lured Charlie Barker in 1998
That month, he found a personal ad in a Louisiana newspaper placed by a woman calling herself “DeAnna Wray.” She was described as a green-eyed blonde, honest, and hardworking. For Charlie Barker, she seemed like the answer to his loneliness. Unfortunately, “DeAnna Wray” was only bait for the cold-hearted con artist, Hazel Head.
Hazel Head: The Con Artist Who Targeted Charlie Barker’s Settlement
Hazel Head quickly moved in with Charlie Barker after learning that he kept the bulk of his insurance settlement locked away in a safe. Barker’s daughters were immediately concerned, suspecting “DeAnna Wray” was a gold-digger who was waiting for their father to pass away.
They were correct about her greed, but tragically wrong about her patience. Hazel Head did not wait for natural causes. She murdered Charlie Barker for his money.
The Discovery and the Bossier Parish Unsolved Murder
On September 2, 1998, after several days of unanswered phone calls, Charlie Barker’s sister went to check on him. She found his lifeless body slumped over in the kitchen. The Bossier Parish coroner estimated he had been dead for five days.
Charlie Barker: Shot With His Own .25 Caliber Handgun
The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the back of his head. The murder weapon used was Barker’s own .25 caliber handgun, which was found wiped clean of fingerprints. Immediately, Barker’s Lincoln Town Car and his live-in girlfriend, “DeAnna Wray,” were missing.
The Search Begins: Finding Barker’s Lincoln Town Car at Shreveport Airport
A day after the body was found, the Bossier Police Department located Barker’s missing vehicle at the Shreveport Regional Airport. CSI investigators quickly secured physical DNA evidence from the car, proving the true identity of the woman who had been posing as “DeAnna” was, in fact, Hazel Head.
Today, Hazel Head remains one of the area’s most wanted fugitives…