KY KY - George Hawkins, 46, Newport, 3 April 1961

[Richard]

45 Years Ago:

--------------------------
George Hawkins
Missing since April 3, 1961 from Newport, Campbell County, Kentucky.
Classification: Endangered Missing
Vital Statistics
Age at Time of Disappearance: 46 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'8"; 190 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. He wore dark-rimmed glasses.
Marks, Scars: Had a childhood injury/illness that left him with one leg an inch shorter than the other. He wore one built-up shoe to compensate for the difference in the length of his leg bones.
Clothing: Dark blue trousers, with red-and-black flannel shirt under a dark blue jacket with yellow lining and a blue-gray hat.
Jewelry: Yellow-gold masonic ring with emblem, and yellow-gold watch with leather band.
Dentals: Full upper and lower dentures.

Circumstances of Disappearance

George Hawkins was last seen on April 3, 1961 in Newport, Kentucky, though he was a resident of Persimmon Grove, Ky, in southern Campbell County. Hawkins was a Kentucky peace officer.

Hawkins, On the morning he disappeared, fixed his oldest daughter breakfast before seeing her off to work. He hugged his wife and his youngest daughter, and left in his tan two-tone 1959 Plymouth station wagon.

Hawkins called home around 1 p.m., telling his family that he stopped by his attorney's office but was on his way home. Nothing in his voice suggested any problems. The two had met about Hawkins' upcoming Internal Revenue Service tax audit. As far as Hawkins family knows, the attorney was the last man to see George Hawkins.

On April 7, Dayton police found Hawkins' station wagon parked at the river's edge with a half-tank of gas and the key still in the ignition. The only thing found inside the car was muddy water. The car appeared to have been rinsed out with the muddy water and wiped down with a muddy rag.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: The Doe Network

Source Information:
The Cincinnati Post
The Doe Network: Case File 1261DMKY

Link:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1261dmky.html

 

[Richard]

Another year has passed with no resolution of this case. No replies to the post either. Bumping up for your consideration...

 

[Marilynilpa]

I don't know anything about this case other than what you posted, but find it intriguing. Of course, I have a couple of questions that I'll try to find the answer to if possible.

1. The car was found with half a tank of gas. Was the tank full when he left home on April 3rd?

2. How far was the river from the attorney's office he visited that afternoon?

3. Muddy water was found in the car. Had it rained between the time when Mr. Hawkins was last seen and when his car was found?

4. He was a Kentucky peace officer. What type of cases did he work?

I'm sure I'll have more questions as I go along, and will post and and all answers here.

 

[kygal]

Newport is a fairly small town that suburbs Cincinnati (smaller than Covington and to the EAST).

1. By driving up I-75, it would be possible for someone to drive to Dayton, OH on a half tank of gas if it was full when you started. (However, it doesn't say Dayton, OH and Dayton, KY is just about 5 miles away from Newport.)

2. It has been a while since I was in Newport, but the business district is close to the river, while residential areas are further away.

3. I don't know how many have been to the Ohio or the Carrollton River in Dayton, but both are usually pretty muddy this time of year from upturns in the bottom and we usually have pretty crazy weather this time of year.

4. At the time, a "peace officer" was a term used for just about all of the police officers and constables that we have today. Chances are he worked all kinds of cases as they came along, as we usually don't have divisions for anything other than murder usually. That is not much different today (not anything like Law and Order around here).

Hope this helps answer some questions. I too think it had something to do with a case he was working or he upset someone that had some influence in the Greater Cincinnati area.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Kygal, thanks for the info.

I wonder how stressed out this man might have been over an IRS audit? Would he have preferred to vanish rather than face financial problems due to taxes? Probably not, but I suppose it's possible.

Another thought - in the news today is a story about a missing banker from Wisconsin who may possibly have developed amnesia from falling on ice while walking his dog a couple of days before his disappearance. No body has been found, and his wife, co-workers, and former co-workers all reported (after the fact) that this man had been acting strangely. He couldn't remember what day it is, failed to recognize a co-worker, and asked for directions to his health club of 20+ years.

It makes me wonder if something similar might have happened in this case.

 

[bykerladi]

If he had amnesia, then why wipe out the car with a muddy rag?

 

[KarlK]

4. At the time, a "peace officer" was a term used for just about all of the police officers and constables that we have today.

It says he was a "Kentucky peace officer". In my state this expression (name of the state followed by "peace officer") loosely applies to any law enforcement officer employed by the state as opposed to police officers and deputies employed by municipalities and counties. Here a peace officer can be anyone from state trooper to highway patrolman to state park ranger. Is it the same for Kentucky? Knowing the general nature of his duties would be useful.

 

[KarlK]

Kygal, thanks for the info.

I wonder how stressed out this man might have been over an IRS audit?

Stressed enough to lawyer up, not a good sign. Maybe that's the reason why the authorities suspected mob involvement?

 

[meggilyweggily]

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/hawkins_george.html

 

[docwho3]

I am not sure what years but there was a time when the main tool for going after organized crime was the use of tax laws. If this was the reason for his audit I could see the "mob" theory seeming possible but otherwise it coud just be he got scared and took off rather than face the tax situation.

Perhaps he was afraid it would turn up proof of him taking some bribes that he might have taken on his own without being part of anything organized.

I wonder what the audit did in fact turn up or if his disappearing stopped the process (I haven't read up on the details of the case yet.)

 

[kygal]

There are some interesting things on the Charley Project and Doe pages that are not listed here. A couple of which are telling.

First, he had one leg shorter than the other and compensated with a built up shoe. If a body were found in one of the rivers (muddy water?) that would be easily noticed. It would also mean that he would not have been able to pass the physical tests of most things other then perhaps court officers (bailiffs), deputy sheriff (which is appointed by the Sheriff here) and constable (elected officials paid by the Commonwealth -- and ironically the only ones able to arrest a Sheriff or his employees by law here).

Second, he was running a small general store where he lived. This could be why he was lawyered up for his audit. It could also be that he was doing something he shouldn't have on the business side and not the law enforcement side.

BTW, I looked closer at the Dayton thing I stated earlier. It must have been Dayton, OH because the town of Dayton, KY is not at the River's edge. The Miami River runs through Dayton and is usually pretty muddy.

 

[KarlK]

There are some interesting things on the Charley Project and Doe pages that are not listed here. A couple of which are telling.

Indeed. After reading the info on the Charley Project I'd say the chances he vanished voluntarily are just as good as those of him being hit by the mob. If I had both the IRS and organized crime after me I'd be looking for a drastic way out too. I can't help but think the abandoned car scene has an amateurish staged feel about it. Organized criminals would likely have disposed of the vehicle in a different fashion such as pushing it into the water to conceal it for a while or setting it on fire to destroy evidence. It's not unreasonable to think he left his car undamaged so that it could be returned to his wife or daughter.

 

[meggilyweggily]

If Hawkins did disappear voluntarily, probably no one will find him by this point. He'd be, in all likelihood, dead of natural causes by now, and buried under some alias name in a faraway cemetery.

 

[not_my_kids]

I did find a Doe in CA that I had considered briefly, but there was an issue with the dentals. George had full dentures, the JD had only 10 teeth removed. But everything else matched.
Here, I'll post it maybe there was a typo.

John Doe, 40-60 year old, found in Humboldt County, California on 5-4-1968, estimated to have been dead about 4 years. He was between 5'4 and 5'9, with brown hair and unknown eye color.
His left leg was shorter than his right, he had an old injury to his left cheekbone and twisted or deformed vertebrae.
he was wearing grey pants, a green shirt, brown lace up boots and an elastic belt with a lion buckle. he was in a shallow grave at the side of Highway 299.

Until I realized the dentals were off, I did think it was a possibility. George might have had a mob connection and there were all the potential injuries (since I don't know why he had the massive physical deformities) and burial in a shallow grave.
Here's the Doe network link: http://doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase412.html

It's not a good possibility, but it's the best I've got.

 

[Fukiyama]

As far as the 'peace officer' thing, we're talking about 1961, right? If our missing man was both a peace officer and a store proprietor, I am thinking the peace officer thing was only a side job more like a town marshal than a full-time state patrolman. The 'Kentucky' description could just be there to indicate location rather than state leo organization.

Add to that the fact the guy had leg issues (probably polio) and I think you can see what I mean.

 

[kysleuth]

George Hawkins, was my grandfather. I began searching for what happened to him, nearly 8 yrs ago. I have struggled with putting anything on the internet, asking for help, for obviously many years, and don't take this lightly. You have to understand, that nearly 50 years later, my mother, my aunt, and myself, sleep in a type of fear that I pray non of you ever have to imagine.

Grandpa had a limp, yes. Not from polio, but from osteomylitis. An injury to his leg after being thrown from a horse as a teenager. He was a Campbell Co., KY Constable, and in all rights, disappeared in the line of duty. I pulled many newspaper articles, and such from the time of his disappearance, and then went to the authorities that handled his case. Neither the local, nor the KY State Police, who handled his case, had ANY records of his disappearance. They all simply vanished. I spoke with a man who knew him, and in my interview with him, he told me things like the Old General Store that they owned, had been shot up on more than one occasion. My mother has told me that my grandmother, aunt, and herself (my mother) slept in the bathtub on many nights because of people being in the store long after it had been closed. A wonderful newsreporter did a story in the Cincinnati Post, and also contacted this same gentleman that I did. He refused to talk to her, and said the only reason he spoke to me, was more or less, to put my mind at ease. He did tell me though, that he knew it was the mob. He refused to tell me much other than funny or delightful stories of my grandfather. Another gentleman, who had pictures of himself and Jimmy Hoffa, turned white, nearly had a heart attack, when I mentioned my grandfather's name, also still afraid 50 yrs later, refused to speak of it, to me, or anyone again. I did not push the situation, because I couldn't live with myself if something happened to this frail poor man.

This is what happened on the day he disappeared:

He hugged and kissed my grandmother, mother, and aunt goodbye. He had around $600 that was supposed to go to the bank that day (profits from the store), he never made it to the bank, nor was the money ever recoverd. He picked up a family friend to take her into Newport so she could do some shopping, and dropped her off. They were to meet at the corner of Monmouth St at 5 pm. He went to the hardware store and picked up paint for my aunt's house that was being built. He went to Charlie Lester's, his attorney, for consultation on an IRS audit. He never met the girl whom he dropped off, she called her daddy at 6 pm to come and pick her up. His car was found in Dayton, KY, which is not far from the Ohio River, wiped out with a muddy rag, with NOTHING but the key inside. He disappeared on Monday. Payday from the mob was Tuesday.

Here's a few things I have learned:

Charlie Lester: was not only his attorney, but the MOB'S attorney.

Johnny "TV" Peluso: received his nickname for fixing tv's around newport, and being paid hefty sums of money to do so. He was a crook, and was privy more to the "goings on" than most probably thought he was. He supposedly heard Red Masterson order the hit on my grandfather.

Big John Harris: Runner of the Highlight Club; met with my aunt and told her to "go home and leave it alone".

Frank "Screw" Andrews; was "helped" out of a 3rd floor story hospital room in the 1970s

My grandfather has been called the Eggman. People say that he would stop on the way to town at local farmers, buy eggs, and then sell them at 200% profit or more to the local clubs such as The Beverly Hills Supper Club, Highlight Club etc. My family tells me, they NEVER saw any type of such money, nor can they find it in their hearts to believe my grandfather was a crook. No money of any kind was ever found. Whatever he was, he was their father, husband, and my grandfather. In my heart, I find it hard to believe he just took off and left them. With nothing. I wonder sometimes though if he was a crook. Maybe intentionally or unintentionally. Getting caught up in the limelight, the money, and being a constable who could do nearly anything he wanted. Either way, a man was taken, a family destroyed, and never an answer.

At this point, we don't want to "stir any feathers'', we just want to bring peace to a man, and peace to family. The not knowing is the worst.

 

[Kat]

Welcome to WS Kysleuth. I'm very sorry that your Grandfather has been missing so many years. My Prayers are with you and your family, that you find resolution soon.

I grew up in Kentucky. It was common knowledge and spoken of frequently that the city of Newport KY had Mob members that practically ran that town.

In fact, I don't think there was a clean up and a general getting rid of them until well into the 1980's.

I don't doubt for one minute if you say you think your Grandfather was murdered by the Mob there. Don't worry about stirring feathers IMHO the feathers that could possibly have been stirred (other than your family, if it bothers them to talk about it) are probably long deceased or have moved on from the area.

Off Topic:

The Beverly Hill supper club burned down. I had two Great Aunts by marriage that died in that fire.

 

[Kat]

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kycampbe/newportgambling.htm

Some background info for those that aren't familiar with Newport KY and it's organized criminal activity.

 

[kysleuth]

I was just a baby when The Beverly Hills Supper Club burnt down. I have been down to the bottom of the hill and seen the plaque they put up. It's not possible to go up there now, and on the anniversary I know family members are allowed up to pay their respects. It is now, though, nothing but a green field. No remnants remain. So sad. I am sorry for your loss as well.

 

[kysleuth]

http://docjt.ky.gov/Magazines/Issue 28/Doe Network_KLE Winter08.pdf

An article about my grandfather. You'll have to scroll down some.