🕯️ WHERE IS DONALD “DJ” HAMAKER?
The Girardville Disappearance That Still Doesn’t Add Up
By RICHIE D MOWREY for The Sassy Gazette (The Gossip You Didn’t Know You Needed)
(Dicking Around With Richie: A True Crime Feed)
Style: candlelight tones, casefile paper texture, subtle “red string” blur, no gore, no sensationalism.
THE CASEFILE OPENS: A MAN WALKS INTO THE DARK
Some cases arrive like thunder. Others creep in like fog.
Donald “DJ” Hamaker’s case is the second kind.
He didn’t disappear off a highway or vanish from a crowded street corner. He vanished into the Pennsylvania Coal Region’s most unforgiving setting: a water-filled pit that locals know is dangerous, but still treat like a shortcut to peace.
DJ was 43 years old, from Girardville, Pennsylvania, and he’s been missing since May 28, 2024.
And for nearly two years now, his loved ones have been stuck in the kind of emotional purgatory that does not heal. The kind where you can’t grieve fully because the door never shuts. The kind where you keep checking the street twice when you see a man walking alone.
Because maybe… just maybe… it’s him.
WHO WAS DJ? (AND WHY THIS CAN’T BE REDUCED TO A HEADLINE)
To talk about DJ’s disappearance, we have to talk about who he was before the silence swallowed him.
According to information discussed on the Unfound podcast episode “Donald ‘DJ’ Hamaker: Holding Water” (released November 21, 2025), DJ was a father and a man who took pride in caring for his mother.
That detail matters. It matters a lot.
People with strong responsibilities and deep family ties don’t usually vanish without leaving behind a trail of warning signs or a pressure point pushing them toward risk.
DJ was not just a name on a missing poster. He was someone who mattered to people, daily.
And when someone like that is gone, the world doesn’t feel normal anymore.
THE LAST PLACE: THE “A-HOLE”
Now we have to talk about the location.
DJ was reportedly last seen at a place locally known as the “A-Hole”, described as a stripping pit or gravel pit filled with water near Girardville.
These old mining pits across the Coal Region aren’t just “water spots.” They are scars. Deep ones.
They can be brutally deceptive:
- steep drop-offs
- cold water temperatures
- submerged debris
- poor visibility
- high walls that are difficult or impossible to climb out of
And tragically, places like this have a history. The kind of history people whisper about when they pass by.
They’re not safe. They never were.
And yet, people still go because that’s the culture around here. It’s local knowledge passed down like folklore: “Just be careful. Don’t go too far out. Don’t be stupid.”
The problem is, you don’t have to be stupid for a place like that to kill you. You just have to be human.
THE TIMELINE: WHERE THE HOURS WENT TO DIE
This is where DJ’s case starts to feel different from a “typical drowning.”
DJ reportedly went to this pit in the early morning hours, allegedly as part of a fishing trip.
But the timeline publicly discussed has a gap that is impossible to ignore:
The report to authorities was not made until later that afternoon.
That means there is a large window of time between DJ being last reportedly seen and the moment emergency responders were contacted.
In missing persons cases, time is everything. In water cases, time isn’t just important. Time is life or death.
Even if this was a tragic accident, that delay matters because it changes:
- the condition of the scene
- the ability to rescue
- the ability to preserve evidence
- the likelihood of recovery
And when you add delay to deep water, the chances of a successful recovery collapse fast.
THE RECOVERY THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN
Search efforts reportedly continued for weeks. Teams searched the area. Resources were deployed.
And still…
No DJ.
No recovery. No confirmed answers. Just an empty space where a human being is supposed to be.
Some people hear that and say, “Well then he has to be somewhere else.”
But water does not work the way people think it does. Especially not deep pits with debris and unpredictable underwater hazards.
Bodies can become trapped. They can sink into silt. They can lodge under submerged trees. They can stay down far longer than anyone expects.
So the lack of recovery does not automatically mean foul play.
But it does mean one thing: This environment is capable of swallowing a person completely.
THE DEED THAT NEVER CAME
DJ’s story is not just a water disappearance. It is also, heartbreakingly, a story about housing pressure.
According to the Unfound podcast, DJ wanted to return to small-town life and found a house online. The sale was described as quick, but DJ allegedly did not receive a deed in his name, in part because the seller reportedly owed money on the home.
The podcast describes that DJ repeatedly attempted to get the deed properly transferred, and the seller allegedly refused.
And this is where the case becomes more than “sad.” This is where it becomes dangerous.
Because housing instability creates pressure that leaks into everything:
- mental health
- choices
- conflict
- financial desperation
- and who you’re willing to be around just to make it through a week
The podcast also states DJ paid using a cashier’s check, and that proof of payment existed, including copies of the check and documentation showing the funds were available and withdrawn.
That matters, because cashier’s checks don’t vanish into thin air. They leave paper trails. And paper trails make people nervous.
THE UPCOMING LEGAL PROCEEDING
Now we reach the detail that makes this case feel like it has a ticking clock attached.
According to the podcast, there was an upcoming legal proceeding the following week, described as potentially a court date or a meeting with a judge.
But DJ went missing before it happened.
Again: this is not an accusation. But it is context.
When someone is headed toward a legal proceeding over a property dispute, that means things are escalating. It means people may be facing exposure, consequences, or accountability.
And when accountability is on the horizon, the temperature rises.
THEORIES, THEORIES & MORE THEORIES
This is the section people want, but it has to be handled carefully. Because DJ is a person, not entertainment.
✅ Theory 1: Accidental Drowning
This is the most straightforward explanation and cannot be ignored.
A kayak can flip in seconds. A person can be incapacitated quickly in cold water. Deep pits are incredibly dangerous, especially at night. A fall into debris-filled water can turn into entanglement or drowning rapidly.
If DJ went in and sank, especially with clothing or boots weighing him down, recovery could be extremely difficult.
Why this fits:
- the location is known to be hazardous
- deep water reduces survival and recovery odds
- night + cold water + panic can be fatal fast
What doesn’t sit right:
- the delay in contacting emergency responders
- the missing clarity around exact times and sequence
⚠️ Theory 2: Misadventure + Underwater Entrapment
This is a variation of accidental drowning, but it matters enough to stand alone.
Deep pits are not clean, open water. They are cluttered, trapped environments.
A person can get snagged in submerged trees, become tangled in debris, sink into silt, or become pinned in a location sonar and divers cannot easily detect.
Why this fits:
- explains why recovery hasn’t happened
- explains why the pit could “keep” him
- explains why search efforts may come up empty
🚩 Theory 3: Something Happened Before the Water Narrative Took Over
This is where things get sensitive, but it’s also where the investigative questions live.
A property dispute with missing deed transfer plus an upcoming court-related event can create high tension. That does not automatically equal foul play.
But it does raise a question: Was DJ under pressure in the days leading up to May 28? And did that pressure place him in a vulnerable situation?
Why people consider this theory:
- housing dispute + legal escalation timing
- the disappearance occurred just before an upcoming legal meeting/date
- unclear gaps in the timeline
What would be needed to support it:
- digital forensic timelines
- verified witness statements
- confirmation of movements and locations
- evidence that the water scene was altered or staged
Without those, it remains a theory.
RICHIE’S PERSPECTIVE: WHAT I THINK MAY HAVE HAPPENED
I want to be very clear here: I am not accusing anyone of a crime.
But I am also not going to pretend the housing situation doesn’t matter.
When someone believes they purchased a home, paid with a cashier’s check, has documentation prepared for official review, and is facing a court-related event the next week… that is a level of stress that changes a person’s life.
I believe DJ may have been living under crushing pressure due to that housing situation, and that pressure may have contributed to his disappearance, whether through emotional distress, risky late-night decisions, conflict and instability, or being in a situation where the response time and truthfulness of others mattered more than anyone wants to admit.
And what haunts me most is this:
DJ disappeared before he could walk into that next legal moment.
Before he could get answers. Before he could get justice. Before he could make his situation official.
That timing is hard to ignore.
WHY THIS CASE NEEDS ATTENTION NOW
DJ’s disappearance is not just a family tragedy. It’s a community wound.
Because every day that passes without answers creates a ripple:
- loved ones trapped in limbo
- a town forced to normalize the unthinkable
- and the possibility that important information fades with time
DJ deserves more than quiet sympathy.
He deserves attention. He deserves accountability. He deserves people who are willing to say:
“This doesn’t sit right. Let’s keep looking.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP
If you know anything about Donald “DJ” Hamaker’s disappearance, even if it seems small, please contact:
CONTACT INFO
Pennsylvania State Police (Frackville Barracks): (570) 874-5300
NAMUS: MP133523
If you are local and were anywhere near Girardville or that pit in the early hours of May 28, 2024, your information could matter more than you realize.
FINAL WORD
Some cases are loud.
This one is quiet. Quiet like deep water. Quiet like paperwork stacked in a folder. Quiet like the moment a family realizes the person they love isn’t coming home tonight.
DJ Hamaker is still missing.
And until he is found, this case is not over.
Not for Girardville. Not for Pennsylvania. Not for the people who love him. And not for me.
🕯️
Source referenced: Unfound Podcast, episode “Donald ‘DJ’ Hamaker: Holding Water” (Nov 21, 2025).
Note: All podcast material discussed here is summarized/paraphrased for commentary and awareness purposes.
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