On September 25, 2007, 29-year-old Jonathan Aaron Hawkins disappeared from Riverview, Florida, and has not been seen or heard from since. His day began with his work van breaking down, leading to his mother picking him and a friend, Jason Smith, up from a parking lot near State Road 60 and Interstate 75 at 7:39 p.m. Hawkins gathered three bags of work equipment and clothing from his van and was taken to his mother's house. Upon arriving, he borrowed his grandmother's orange 2002 Chevrolet Camaro with the stated intention of purchasing parts to repair his van, promising to return the car the following day. This was the last time his family ever saw him.
According to Jason Smith, the friend who was with Hawkins earlier, Hawkins had plans to meet a "'preppy guy'" in Town 'N Country, Florida. The purpose of this meeting was allegedly to purchase cocaine for resale. Smith claimed to have not seen Hawkins after this planned meeting. Upon hearing this information, Hawkins's family attempted to report him missing but were unable to do so for two days. Over a month later, on October 31, the Chevrolet Camaro he had borrowed was found abandoned in the parking lot of a Lowe's store on Gibsonton Drive and was subsequently returned to his family. Despite a search of his home at the RV park, authorities found nothing of significance. However, a neighbor reported seeing Smith removing items from Hawkins's RV into a truck a few weeks after he went missing. Smith was later incarcerated on unrelated drug charges.
Prior to his disappearance, Hawkins had a criminal record, including a conviction for grand theft auto as a teenager, for which he served prison time. However, in the years leading up to his disappearance, he had reportedly turned his life around, starting his own carpet-installing business and was regarded as a quiet and good neighbor at the Rice Creek RV Resort where he lived. He was known to cherish his personal vehicle, a black 1987 Nissan 300ZX, which he left behind. The investigation into his disappearance faced a significant setback in mid-2008 when his case was mistakenly removed from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office missing persons database, a mistake that went unnoticed for two months. After the error was discovered, he was re-listed as an endangered missing person. His case remains unsolved.
Last Seen: Sep 25, 2007
