A sense of closure for family of Debbie Hawk whose remains were found near Stratford

What does this all mean? Well, it brings a bit of closure to the family said Capt. Anderson, who personally, along with other department officers, contacted family members. “It was emotional for everyone,” he said.  He spoke specifically of Hawk’s father, who currently is gravely ill and who longed to know what happened to his daughter. “One of his dying wishes was that Debbie would be found,” said Anderson.

Debbie Hawk went missing nearly 10 years ago. Her ex-husband, Dave Hawk, was convicted of her murder.

The news about Hawk was out well before the press conference when family members were told of the emotional find. The remains were found by a farmworker working in a field near Stratford. The farmworker told the owner of the farm about his discovery, and the owner immediately contacted the Sheriff’s Department.

The field is actually near Stratford, Hawk’s boyhood home. “Dave Hawk lived in and worked in that area,” said Anderson. “He knew the area well,” and added that the location of Hawk’s remains were only 6 miles from where he lived.

Investigators, knowing that the remains were of a woman, immediately contacted the Hanford Police Department, which originally investigated the crime. A dental expert quickly matched the jawbone to her dental x-rays that police already had on file.

Robinson said it was a 100-percent match. He also added that a pair of acrylic nails were also discovered, but there was no clothing or jewelry on the site.

It was indeed a remote area and difficult to get to, said Robinson, surmising that the convicted Hawk believed the body wouldn’t be discovered for “many, many years.”

Kings County District Attorney Keith Fagundes said the discovery of Debbie Hawk’s remains “does not impact the conviction of David Hawk. This discovery gives closure to the family. He still stands convicted.”

 Fagundes also said that it undermines an argument made at Hawk’s trial that she could still be alive.

Debbie Hawk, a 46-year-old pharmaceutical representative and mother of three children, disappeared from her home in 2006. Even though no body was found, her ex-husband was convicted of first-degree murder and languishes in Corcoran State Prison. He was also found guilty of embezzling 300,000 from a trust account set up for the couple’s children.