Placer County
Cold Case Foundation
Honoring victims. Restoring identities. Seeking justice.
Cherilyn Hawkley
Placer Unsolved: Granite Bay Teacher's Cold Case Gets a Fresh Look
It has been 32 years since the tragic death of Cherilyn Hawkley. Cherilyn was an elementary school teacher at Eureka Elementary and a mother of three. She had just purchased a home in Roseville and was excited for the next chapter of her life.
On Halloween in 1993, Cherilyn was found deceased in her minivan, just a mile from the school where she taught. A rope was located near her body. Her vehicle remains the only known crime scene in the case.
Cherilyn’s colleagues described her as happy and hopeful in the days leading up to her death. She had lunch with a colleague the Friday before Halloween, and met with another teacher that afternoon. Both reported that Cherilyn appeared to be in good spirits. She was last seen alive at the school in the late afternoon on October 29.
While the case remains unsolved, it has never been forgotten. Today, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case team is taking a fresh look at Cherilyn’s case, using the latest DNA advancements and investigative tools that weren’t available three decades ago. Our investigators are determined to find the person responsible and finally bring Cherilyn’s family the closure they deserve.
We believe someone out there has information, no matter how small it may seem, that could help solve this case.
On Halloween in 1993, Cherilyn was found deceased in her minivan, just a mile from the school where she taught. A rope was located near her body. Her vehicle remains the only known crime scene in the case.
Cherilyn’s colleagues described her as happy and hopeful in the days leading up to her death. She had lunch with a colleague the Friday before Halloween, and met with another teacher that afternoon. Both reported that Cherilyn appeared to be in good spirits. She was last seen alive at the school in the late afternoon on October 29.
While the case remains unsolved, it has never been forgotten. Today, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case team is taking a fresh look at Cherilyn’s case, using the latest DNA advancements and investigative tools that weren’t available three decades ago. Our investigators are determined to find the person responsible and finally bring Cherilyn’s family the closure they deserve.
We believe someone out there has information, no matter how small it may seem, that could help solve this case.
Glenn Whitten Cold Case
On July 24, 1995, 18-year-old Glenn Whitten, was found shot to death at Upper Lake Clementine.
Glenn was last known to have been at a gathering with friends in Auburn. Glenn reportedly left to walk home and was last seen near the McDonalds at Lincoln Way. Glenn’s body was found at Upper Lake Clementine the next morning. It is unknown how Glenn got to Upper Lake Clementine, and no vehicle associated with Glenn was at the scene.
Detectives processed the scene and conducted extensive interviews, but the case eventually went cold. To this day, no suspect has been identified, and the murder weapon has never been recovered. At the time of the original investigation, many witnesses were reluctant to be forthcoming with information. Our investigators are hopeful that the passage of time will result in witnesses being willing to come forward with information they might have.
In recent years, our efforts to solve cold cases like Glenn’s have intensified with the formation of our Cold Case Investigations Team. Using modern forensic tools and advances in DNA analysis and digital evidence processing, investigators are taking a fresh look at unsolved cases, determined to uncover new leads and deliver long-overdue justice.
Zenia Williams Cold Case Victim Identified
Placer County Sheriff's Office Identifies Remains of 2001 Cold Case.
Foresthill, CA – The Placer County Sheriff’s Office has officially identified the remains of a woman found on March 20, 2001, as Zania Lynette Williams (DOB: 9/28/1966), also known as Zenia Williams. Williams, 34 years old at the time of her disappearance, was last seen around Christmas of 2000 at her residence in Sacramento. Her skeletonized remains were discovered on Driver’s Flat Road in Foresthill, California, and had remained unidentified for over two decades.
Initially, the case was handled by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office and classified as a Jane Doe cold case. Investigators were unable to identify the woman using the available technology at the time. Her dental records were entered into the missing and unidentified persons database in 2001, but no matches were found. Despite extensive efforts, the case remained unsolved until the formation of the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Investigations team in 2023.
This newly formed Cold Case Investigations team, consisting of investigators from both the Placer County Sheriff’s Office and the Placer County District Attorney's Office, reopened the case. The team utilized advancements in forensic technologies, including genetic genealogy, to assist in the investigation. In 2024, the Sheriff’s Office sent a DNA profile obtained from the remains in 2009 to Othram, an accredited forensic lab in Texas to generate a suitable sample for genetic genealogy.
Additionally, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Investigative Genealogy Center at Ramapo College to develop leads on potential relatives. Through this collaboration, detectives located a possible relative and obtained a DNA sample for comparison with the California Department of Justice’s database. In 2025, a match was confirmed, linking the decedent’s DNA to that of the relative.
In March 2025, the remains were officially identified as Zania Williams. Williams had never been listed as a missing person. While the circumstances surrounding her death are still under investigation, we hope the identification brings a sense of closure to her surviving family members after nearly 25 years of uncertainty.
About us
"Honoring victims. Restoring identities. Seeking Justice."
Our mission is to support families and keep Placer County cold cases alive until they are solved.
In partnership with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the Placer County Cold Case Foundation is committed to bringing hope and healing to families who live with the uncertainty of a missing or murdered loved one. Closure can transform grief into peace, and we are dedicated to pursuing justice and answers for those still waiting. Your help could make the difference. Even the smallest piece of information may be the key to unlocking a breakthrough in these cases.
