Placer Unsolved: Granite Bay Teacher’s Cold Case Gets a Fresh Look
September 9, 2025 – Placer County Sheriff’s Office officials report that 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. On Monday, 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.
If you know anything about the death of Cherilyn Hawkley, please call our homicide tip line at (530) 889-7830.
We are not giving up.
View video here.
Source: Placer County Sheriff’s Office
