August 27, 2018 | By Corey Stevens

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and a University of North Florida Journalism class.

At the time she died, many in Jacksonville knew the name of Glenda Dixie Trucks.

They might have seen her at her family’s auto radio business, Auto-Radio Service Inc. on Philips Highway. The company was started by James Trucks, her husband, and has been around since 1974. Now her son and daughter-in-law, Tara Trucks, run the business.

They might have seen her singing; Trucks and her husband sang together in a band. She was also was an avid piano player.

“I was playing with a band at a restaurant that she worked at and that’s where we met,” James Trucks remembered .

But on Sunday Sept. 20, 1987, the then 37-year-old woman was murdered and taken away from her three children, Samantha, Jason and Sammy, and her husband James.

It was on that day that Trucks was found shot in the head and neck in an alley on 2410 Silver St. in the Springfield area. She was lying next to the driver side of her 1977 Delta 88 Oldsmobile.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Trucks was found shot from behind after a witness at 10:30 p.m. heard yelling and two gunshots. Trucks’ husband had no idea that she was in this area or why she was there.

“I knew she had left,” James said, “but she didn’t come home after a whole day, and that’s when the police came and told me what happened.”

Police found Trucks’ fingerprints and one partial palm print that could not be confirmed to be hers. The police also found what appeared to be cocaine on her clothing.

The police did conduct interviews but there were no specific suspects in the case and on Oct. 9, 1987, the investigation was closed due to lack of evidence.

“It took me a long time to get over it, two or three years,” James said, “when it’s sudden you don’t get to spend time with them, like you would with someone who is sick.

“I felt pity for her and the situation she was found in.”

While Trucks’ murder remains a mystery, there is more to her story. She was more than just another murder victim, she was a mother and a wife. If Trucks were alive now she would no doubt be giving all of her love and affection to Jason Jr., her grandson.

Jason was 10 years old growing up in Jacksonville around the Marietta neighborhood on the Westside when his mother was murdered. He never really got to know her like most children get to know their parents. Since he was so young, Jason was kept in the dark about how and why his mother died.

“Details were kept from me,” Jason said, “anytime it would come up I had to leave the room.”

When speaking about his mom’s case, Jason, now 31, said he remembers riding with his mom around the area in which she was killed. He remembered that people would continually recognize her as they drove.

“Somebody knows something,” he’s convinced.

Trucks’ family have not forgotten her.

Jason’s wife, Tara, does what she can to keep Trucks’ memory alive by taking her son, Jason Jr., to his grandmother’s grave.

“I never got to meet her, but I take my son to her grave and we bring flowers and keep the site neat,” Tara said, “It’s to keep her memory alive and to let my son know that he had a nana.”

It was Tara’s idea to submit Trucks’ case to Project: Cold Case. After seeing a story about Project: Cold Case on the news, Tara submitted her mother-in-law’s information.

Trucks’ case was reopened by JSO in 2007 with evidence submitted for a rape kit, but the kit results came back inconclusive. Since then the police have learned nothing new about the case.

Anyone who has any information about this case, the identity, or location of the suspect(s) is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff`s Office at 904-630-0500 or email them at JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and receive a possible reward up to $3,000, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

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