Content warning. This episode contains discussion of violence and murder.

Don Mazzino was a special person.

The 23 year old was learning disabled, but she did not let that slow her down.

She had a job she enjoyed as a hostess in the nutrition department of the Bryn-Mar Hospital in suburban

Philadelphia.

She was an active participant in the Special Olympics,

and she had a boyfriend she was close to.

Don relied heavily on public transportation

to get her where she needed to go.

So, when she left work around 3 p.m. on May 22nd 1989,

she headed to the train station.

She planned to join her boyfriend Dan at a practice session for the Special Olympics.

But Dawn never made it there.

A woman driving by later reported spotting Don standing outside the hospital, talking with a man the witness would later identify as Thomas Hawkins.

Don had earlier complained about being bullied by Hawkins.

What made this encounter even more troubling is that Thomas Hawkins had earlier been

convicted of murder, and would later be convicted of yet another murder.

But investigators never succeeded in definitively tying Hawkins to Dawn.

And all these years later, Dawn's family is still looking for answers.

At this point, they are not convinced that the truth of what happened lies with Thomas

Hawkins.

Don's sister Kathy has helped uncover several other intriguing leads.

...