"In May 2006, we got a call from a woman in Ventura, California, who was positive that she had spoken with Mike at a local park," Sandra said. "Mike's dad and I got on a plane and flew to California and the woman agreed to meet with us. She would not disclose her identity and went by the name "Starr." She seemed reliable and well educated."
Why "Starr" opted for the Cloak and Dagger routine remains unclear; however she did provide Mike's parents with enough information to convince them that she had indeed spoken with Mike.
"She said that she would make sandwiches and take them to the park in Ventura. They have a large number of homeless people that hang out in the park during the day. She was giving them out and this person she thought was Mike seemed very mentally unstable. She said that he was talking to voices, which would have been something new but he did go off all his meds and his doctor said that could cause memory loss and a period of unconsciousness. She said she talked to him for a little while and he said he was trying to contact his mother and but he couldn't remember the phone number and he wasn't sure of where he lived but he knew it was back east somewhere. She didn't put much stock in it. He told her his name was Hogan but said she could call him Michael. So when she got home she called a friend and her friend got on the Internet and they came right to my son's Web site and she looked at the picture and felt pretty sure it was him."
Following the trip to California, Starr called Sandra a few more times but with each call she began to act more and more bizarre.
"She was very insistent that we not offer a reward because she felt it would be harmful to my son in the homeless community so we took it off for awhile then decided to put it back on," Sandra said. "She then got very angry and cut off all contact with us because we did that. She said, 'I can't work with you anymore.'"
That was, however, not the last Mike's family would hear from Starr. On Mother's Day 2007 she called Mike's father and told him that Mike had returned to Ventura but was now living in Oregon.
"She said he is living there with a woman working in the lumber industry and he feels bad that he hasn't called his mom but is afraid that if he does that I will put him in a hospital."
Starr has not had any contact with Mike's parents since the 2007 Mother's Day phone call. Her behavior has been odd and it appears as though she may know more than she is letting on.
The Oregon tip never panned out and Mike's parents continue to hope their son is safe. In the meantime they will not give up the search until they find their son.
"I am not in any way angry at him and he shouldn't feel that way," Sandra said. "All I want is for him to be happy and I want to know he is okay and if he is happy where he is. Then I will accept that. It is just too difficult not knowing. We all love him so much – his father, myself, his stepmother and stepfather, his brother and sister. We just really need to know and if he needs anything then we are here. I know he feels guilty about things and he shouldn't worry about that. Just to know to that he is alive would be such a gift to us."
William "Mike" Hogan is described as a white male, 6' tall, 180 lbs., with black hair and blue eyes. He has a birthmark on his upper back, a slightly receding hairline and a cap on one of his upper front teeth. Anyone with information is asked to call the CUE Center for Missing Persons 24 hour anonymous line at 910-232-1687 or the Vermont State Police (investigative case # 05C102439) at 1-802-773-9101. If you believe you see Mike, keep him in sight while you contact one of these agencies and until someone arrives on the scene. Mike is not dangerous.
For more information or to help, please visit: www.helpfindmikehogan.org.
If you are a family member of a missing loved one and have a case you would like covered here, contact me via e-mail . If you are a reader who would like to help, please spread the word about this blog so others can find us. The more people who see these stories the better chances someone might come forward with information.
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