On the evening of May 28, 2022, a violent disturbance shattered the quiet of a residential neighborhood in Springfield, Missouri. At approximately 10:25 p.m., emergency dispatchers received a distress call that led officers to a home located at 2652 South Glenview Avenue. Upon their arrival, first responders discovered a 42-year-old female victim, Ada Hodgkins, who was suffering from a critical gunshot wound.
Despite her severe injuries, she was able to communicate with authorities during the initial chaos, identifying her attacker before she was rushed to a local hospital. Although medical personnel made every effort to save her, she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival.
Detectives with the Springfield Police Department’s Homicide Unit immediately launched an investigation into the fatal shooting. Based on the victim's statement to 911 operators and body camera footage captured at the scene, investigators identified her husband, 32-year-old Jacob Adam Hodgkins, as the primary suspect. Authorities quickly determined that the assailant had fled the scene before law enforcement arrived. By the following day, May 29, prosecutors had formally charged him, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on the charge of second-degree murder. The suspect was considered armed and dangerous, prompting a search that extended well beyond the state lines of Missouri.
The manhunt concluded over a week later in Cedar City, Utah, a location where the suspect had previously resided and had a criminal history involving drug distribution and other offenses. On the morning of June 6, 2022, Jacob Hodgkins walked into the Cedar City Police Department lobby and surrendered to authorities. He was taken into custody without further incident and booked into the local jail, awaiting extradition back to Missouri to face charges related to the death of his wife.
