Summary

In February 2016, an unidentified man drowned in a hotel pool in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Several law enforcement agencies responded, including the Horry County Coroner's Office, and began collecting evidence and investigating. The man was not a guest of the hotel and no abandoned car was found nearby. There were no local missing persons reports that matched the young man. He was Black, in his mid-twenties and despite clothes and personal belongings found nearby, there was no way to identify him. Officials took his fingerprints and conducted a lengthy investigation but there were no matches. The case eventually went cold and the unidentified man became known as Horry County John Doe (2016). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP15051.

A DNA profile was developed but did not lead to an identification. In 2023, the Horry County Coroner's Office submitted that DNA profile to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if forensic genetic genealogy could help identify the man. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Malquan Tyreek Hawkins, who was 22 years old when he died.

Hawkins' biological mother lives in North Carolina, about three-hours north of Myrtle Beach, and put him up for adoption as a baby. He ended up in the foster system and aged out at 18 years old. Officials continue to investigate what brought him to Myrtle Beach, why he was at the hotel pool and, ultimately, what happened to him.

Individuals who have taken a consumer DNA test can aid ongoing forensic investigations by joining the DNASolves database. Expanding the number of available DNA profiles increases the likelihood of successful identifications, helping to reunite families with their missing loved ones and resolve cases that have remained unsolved for years.

The identification of Malquan Hawkins represents the 8th case in the State of South Carolina where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Visit DNASolves to learn about other South Carolina cases where your support can help bring long-awaited answers to families.