Timmy Ray Hawkins, a 32-year-old truck driver from Van Buren, Indiana, was last seen on March 7, 2004. At the time of his disappearance, he was employed as an over-the-road truck driver. Two days after he was last seen, his employer received a text message, believed to be from Timmy, stating that he had quit and that his truck could be found at a Subway restaurant in Pendleton, Indiana. On March 10, 2004, law enforcement located his 1993 green Chevrolet pickup at the specified location.
The driver's side window of the truck was broken, and inside, investigators discovered bloodstains and other evidence that suggested a struggle had taken place.
Several months into the investigation, Timmy's ex-wife, Joyce Ann Hawkins, who was incarcerated on unrelated charges, confessed to her involvement in his death. Although divorced for three years, the couple had been living together, and their relationship was described as troubled, with police having been called to their residence for domestic disturbances multiple times in the month leading up to his disappearance. Joyce claimed that she had accidentally shot Timmy in his truck in a rural area of Grant County on the day he was last seen. She provided details of her attempts to clean the truck with hydrogen peroxide and her disposal of his body. According to her confession, she burned his remains over a period of three to four days on a property they owned. She also stated that she had thrown the gun used in the shooting into a river.
Despite her detailed confession and leading authorities to the location where she claimed to have burned the body, investigators were unable to find any physical evidence to corroborate her story. Searches of the river where she alleged to have disposed of the weapon also yielded no results. In addition to her confession to the police, Joyce wrote letters about the incident, including one in which she expressed that she would never get out of prison. In February 2007, Joyce Ann Hawkins was found guilty of murder and sentenced to sixty years in prison. The case remains a haunting mystery for investigators, as Timmy Ray Hawkins's body has never been recovered, leaving his final whereabouts unknown and the case partially unresolved despite the conviction.Last Seen: Mar 7, 2004
