Missing Man's Remains Found 4 Years Later In DeKalb: Report

BROOKHAVEN, GA — The body of a man who disappeared in Brookhaven four years ago has been located, his family told WAGA-TV.

The family of Lucky Hawkins, 52, has not spoken to him since Aug. 22, 2021, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at the time. He was last seen about noon that day in the area of Clairmont Road and Interstate 85 in Brookhaven.

Earlier this month, his remains were found "in a wooded area near a creek off I-85’s frontage road, less than two miles from where he disappeared," WAGA-TV reported Tuesday.

Family members told reporters the news was devastating and that they believe "something bad happened to him." It is unknown how Hawkins died.

The GBI previously released details that traced Hawkins' steps around the time of his disappearance.

Authorities said Hawkins had left a Union City hotel the morning of Aug. 23, 2021, and around 10:18 a.m., he visited a Greenbriar Parkway bank.

Around 7:45 p.m. that day, the GBI said Hawkins' 2002 red Ford F250 arrived at a Clairmont Road grocery store. After Hawkins did not return to his vehicle, the truck was impounded five days later.

At the time, a fast-food worker said they saw Hawkins get into a black Chevy suburban with two males on a weekend night, but a specific date was not given, authorities said.

Hawkins was headed to North Carolina for a tag renewal and had told his ex-wife he was staying at a motel the day of his disappearance, according to the Community United Effort Center for Missing Persons in North Carolina.

The center said Hawkins' cell phone was broken at the time, and when his ex-wife attempted to call his room line, it was busy the whole day.

His ex-wife asked his daughter to check on him, and when his daughter went to the motel, the center said he and his truck were not there.

However, ATM video footage in Georgia showed Hawkins arguing with two men in the parking lot of the grocery store, the center said, adding that was the last time someone saw or heard from Hawkins.

"My dad was my best friend; he was my everything," April Davis, Hawkins' daughter, told WAGA-TV. "Always in the back of my mind, I did have the gut-wrenching knowledge that, something happened to him."

Hawkins' death reportedly remains under investigation.