Newtown Police Say Recent Sighting of Missing Newtown Man is Unconfirmed

It has been one year since a Newtown man disappeared without a trace and his family and police are looking for answers. Newtown Patch reported on July 28, 2014 that Robert Hoagland was seen last Thursday, July 31 by someone visiting the Putnam County Correctional Facility, however, Newtown police say this is unconfirmed.

Newtown Police Detective Jason Frank is the lead investigator in this case and told Patch Friday, “Any sightings without proof such as a picture or video surveillance is an alleged sighting. A person at the prison said they saw someone matching his description, but we can’t say for certain if it was him.”

Frank added, “This case remains an active investigation and we are relying on the public’s help to find Hoagland.”

Family and friends have been relying on social media pages on Facebook and Twitter to help find him. They held a special lantern ceremony on the one year anniversary of his disappearance at the Fairfield Hills Campus.

In a Letter to the Editor of the Newtown Bee friends wrote:

It’s been a year… 365 days without a letter, a phone call or even an email. A year ago Hoagie vanished. Since then, the limited searches from the NPD and the more extensive ones by friends and family have yielded nothing. His disappearance is a puzzle that has left us with emotions of anger, sadness and abandonment. There’s no explanation, no justification, no conclusion. Only a hole in our hearts.

On Monday evening, to remember the place that Hoagie held in our lives, we gathered at Fairfield Hills to light up some flying lanterns. As the warmth of the candle filled the canvas, we also filled the hole in our hearts with a prayer. A prayer for Hoagie’s safekeeping, whether here on earth or in the heavens. A prayer for Lori, Chris, Max and Sam. A prayer for all his friends and family. And as the luminaries rose, so did our prayers. He’s gone but will never be forgotten.

Francois de Brantes, for the de Brantes, Meisels, Smiths, and Woodhouses

If you have any tips or information on this case, please contact Newtown Police Det. Jason Frank by calling (203) 270-4255.