The Teacher Found in Her Van: Laura Ingle on the Murder of Cherilyn Hawkley

During Halloween weekend of 1993, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of three, Cherilyn Hawkley, vanished from Granite Bay, California. Two days later, her body was discovered inside her minivan, less than a mile from the school where she taught fifth grade. In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum and Laura Ingle revisit the case that shocked the community, retracing the timeline, the missing hours, and the single piece of rope believed to have been used in Cherilyn’s murder. With the newly established cold-case team reopening the files, they explore how advances in forensic science and a new round of DNA testing may hold the key to solving this 32-year-old cold case. If you have information about this case, contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Tip Line at (530) 889-7830. Highlights: • (0:00) Welcome to Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum and guest Laura Ingle • (1:00) Laura Ingle recounts growing up near Granite Bay and Cherilyn’s final hours after the school’s Halloween party • (3:30) The van’s location and why it suggests a local offender • (9:30) The rope used in the killing and new DNA testing by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office • (11:45) Cleared suspects: ex-husband, boyfriend, and school custodian • (16:00) Sheryl breaks down potential motives and why the crime does not fit the typical pattern   (17:30) The detailed witness sketch of a man driving a white VW Bug • (21:00) Laura describes visiting the school and the plaque that bears Cherilyn’s name • (24:15) Why it’s important to re-examine every witness and every clue, and how uniting the original detectives with the new cold-case team could uncover what was never written in the files • (26:30) Tip line information and closing message Guest Bio: Laura Ingle is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and the host of The Ingle Edit, a YouTube series and podcast dedicated to re-examining unsolved cases through on-scene reporting and firsthand interviews. As a longtime network correspondent, she has covered many of America’s most notoroious crime stories and continues to champion cold-case investigations. Learn more about the case and view Laura’s on-scene reporting on The Ingle Edit: www.youtube.com/@TheIngleEdit Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire. Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a Metro Atlanta Police Department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than 4 decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing. Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023. Social Links: • Email: [email protected] • Twitter: @ColdCaseTips • Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum • Instagram: @officialzone7podcast Preorder Sheryl’s upcoming book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Lessons in Life, Justice, and Joy from a Forensic Scientist, releasing May 2026 from Simon and Schuster. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Swans-Dont-Swim-in-a-Sewer/Sheryl-Mac-McCollum/9798895652824      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.