Family still hopes to find son after 2 years
Toolbox
By Alan J. Keays Herald Staff - Published: May 17, 2007
Police and family members have chased down reported sightings of Michael Hogan of Rutland from as far away as Texas and California.
This week marks the second anniversary of Hogan's mysterious disappearance. He was last seen May 16, 2005, in the area of Spring Lake Ranch in Shrewsbury, where he worked and received treatment.
Police and family members have scoured the area looking for him ever since he was first reported missing. But, despite numerous searches, Hogan remains missing.
"We're hopeful and we're keeping our chins up and staying positive and optimistic that we'll find Michael," said Hogan's father, who also goes by the name Michael Hogan. "There are stories of people coming out of the woodwork, so to speak, after they have been gone for several years, longer than Michael."
On the day he went missing two years ago, the younger Hogan went from his apartment in Rutland to the ranch in Shrewsbury to work. He worked through the morning and then did not show up for lunch.
Vermont State Police were called later that day when he failed to show up to take a bus from the ranch back to his Rutland apartment.
According to his family and police, Hogan's condition required that he take several different medications each day. Hogan did not have a vehicle, but he did have a driver's license. Family members said when he disappeared, he went only with the clothes on his back. His apartment did not appear to be disturbed.
Since his disappearance, there have been reported sightings of Hogan in downtown Rutland and the Killington area, but none recently. Police point out they have been unable to confirm those sightings.
Hogan is from Bel Air, Md., and it is possible he was on his way home to his family when he disappeared. His divorced parents from Maryland have traveled many times to Vermont to try to find their son and last year made a trek to California after a reported sighting there.
Vermont State Police have been investigating the case since the day Hogan was reported missing.
"We did have some sightings in Texas in November and January," State Police Detective Sgt. Robert Patten said this week. "The most promising, I think, was back in April 2006 in the Ventura, California, area."
However, none of the sightings have ever been confirmed as Hogan, said Patten, the State Police detective assigned to the case.
"We're hopeful that he is alive and out there somewhere and it's just a matter of time before he has some type of encounter with law enforcement," Patten said. "Everything has been set in place that if he has any type of involvement with police, even for a motor vehicle infraction, he's going to come back as being flagged as missing out of Vermont."
Hogan is among the roughly 8,000 missing adults the FBI lists as "endangered" or "disabled," meaning they suffer from some form of mental illness that may lead them to attempt suicide or abandon their lives.
The family said they have tried everything they can think of to try to find Hogan.
They have contacted missing person agencies across the country, posting Web pages highlighting their son's case. A trucker's organization also distributed fliers with Hogan's photo to fellow truckers across the nation.
Family members said he enjoyed writing and outdoor sporting activities, such as volleyball and basketball. He listened to music, too, especially the bands Pearl Jam and REM.
The elder Hogan posted a message this week on a Web site set up to help find his son, www.helpfindmikehogan.org.
"Dear Mike, Just wanted to say that I'm missing you more than ever," the posting read.
Earlier this month, another person described as a friend of the missing man also posted a message to the younger Hogan.
"We all miss your sarcasm; your wit, your id," the message read. "Your moms and pops love you to the nth as well as your friends."
Contact Alan J. Keays at alan.keays@rutlandherald.com.
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