NPSO: Shreveport businessman killed, truck stolen in home invasion in Natchitoches Parish

CAMPTI, La. (KSLA) — A Shreveport businessman was killed and his pickup was stolen during a home invasion in Natchitoches Parish, authorities said.

Now 71-year-old Mark L. Hailey’s death is being investigated as a homicide.

Hailey owned Fat Daddy’s Crawfish in Shreveport and at one time owned Fat Daddy’s Crawfish on Texas Street in Natchitoches, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office reported.

Sheriff’s deputies found Hailey dead on the floor of his residence in the 100 block of Jim Bell Road north of Campti about 11:12 p.m. Tuesday, March 14.

A relative told them that he went to the home to check on his uncle and found the front door breached and his uncle lying on the floor unresponsive. They also learned that Hailey’s 2015 Ford F-350 was missing from the residence.

The coroner’s office pronounced Hailey dead at the scene from apparent blunt- and sharp-force trauma, authorities said. His body was taken to Shreveport for an autopsy.

Detectives brought in special lighting to assist them while they photographed and processed the crime scene throughout Tuesday night.

Shortly after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 15, dispatchers received a call about a suspicious vehicle abandoned on Tauzin Island Road in the Grand Ecore area near Natchitoches. Deputies discovered that it was Hailey’s truck.

A team of detectives worked throughout Wednesday interviewing family members and friends of Hailey.

Now there’s a black ribbon reading “RIP Fat Daddy” tied to the Fat Daddy’s Crawfish building in Shreveport.

A close friend described Hailey as a kind person who enjoyed helping everyone and never met a stranger.

In the hours after news of Hailey’s death became known, there was an outpouring of support on social media, including hundreds of comments on the KSLA News 12 Facebook page.

One comment says: “Dang, Fat Daddy R-I-P. Y’all wrong for killing this man, praying for speedy justice.”

Another says: “Makes no sense why someone would do this. He was a character and had a voice that you couldn’t mistake for anyone else.”

Authorities are urging anyone with any information about this case to call the Sheriff’s Office’s criminal investigations division at (318) 357-7830.

“Our detectives, in conjunction with assistance from the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office and Northwest Louisiana Crime Lab, are working tirelessly in an effort to identify the person or persons responsible for this senseless crime of violence,” Sheriff Stuart Wright said. “We are continuing to interview family, friends, neighbors, and employees as well as analyzing physical and forensic evidence in an effort to identify those that were involved in Mr. Hailey’s death.”

Tips also can be submitted anonymously by downloading the P3 Tips app on your smartphone or by calling Natchitoches Crime Stoppers at (318) 238-2388. All tips remain confidential, and the caller can receive a cash reward of up to $2,500 for the arrest of an offender.

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