Timothy Sean Hickerson has been charged with murder in the disappearance of Shane Donahue in Nokesville more than 14 years ago.
Hickerson, now 43, was arrested Tuesday night in Palm Coast, Florida, Prince William County police Lt. Jonathon Perok said in a release.
Timothy Sean Hickerson
The former Nokesville resident has been a person of interest in the case since Donahue, 22, disappeared after leaving his parents' home in the 12000 block of Aden Road on March 22, 2010. His cell phone was turned off that day and never used again, according to his family.
The day he disappeared, Donahue had been paid $5,000 for work installing ceiling tiles, his family said in past interviews. His parents and police said he paid Hickerson $1,000 for helping out with the job.
Police said Hickerson, who after Donahue's disappearance served four years in a federal prison for breaking into two Northern Virginia gun stores, was the last person seen with Donahue. The two left the Donahue family's home together before reportedly going to Shane Donahue's house nearby.
Police said Donahue's body has not been found but he is presumed dead.
Over the years, detectives have followed several investigative leads in the case and reactivated the investigation this spring, Perok said.
Detectives examined "every detail of the case from scratch, including revisiting interviewed parties and digital evidence in greater detail due to advances in analytical technology and modern police investigative practices," Perok said.
Police also connected Hickerson to a burglary at Shane Donahue's home "just days prior to his disappearance."
Hickerson is jailed in Flagler County, Florida, awaiting extradition back to Virginia.
After Donahue's disappearance, his family hung a large banner outside their home on Aden Road, counting the days he had been missing.
In a Tuesday night Facebook post, his mother Donna Donahue wrote "yes, yes, yes. I've been waiting a long time for this to happen."
On March 22, 2010, Shane Donahue, 23, left his parents house on Aden Road in Nokesville and hasn’t been heard from again. Now, four years later, police are once again asking for any information about what happened to him.
