Hawkins, 53, was shot and killed on Oct. 16, 2015, at the Mona Boat Ramp in Murfreesboro. He had been preparing to fish with his daughter, Brandi Jackson, who was home from college and waiting nearby. Investigators believe Hawkins may have come upon a robbery or another crime in progress as he walked toward his car. Two pickup trucks were towed from the scene as evidence.

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office plans to use STRmix, software designed to interpret DNA samples containing genetic material from multiple people. The agency says this is its first case using the program. STRmix’s developers say the software has helped produce admissible evidence in more than 380,000 cases.

Investigators described the suspect as a white man wearing a neon yellow or green shirt who ran through an area between Interstate 840 and U.S. Highway 231.

Jackson made a public appeal for information in 2018, saying people who had interacted with the person responsible should come forward. “It's your duty to this community to get this person off the streets,” she said.

Hawkins’ wife, Janet, also spoke publicly about the loss, saying she could not understand why the suspect would have felt threatened enough to take his life. “It's pathetic because he was such a good man,” she said.

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the identification and conviction of a suspect. Anyone with information can contact the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office at 615-904-3051 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 615-893-7867.