In this week's edition of "The Missing," we revisit the mysterious disappearance of William "Mike" Hogan, a 31-year-old resident of Shrewsbury, Vermont, who went missing on May 16, 2005.
"Three years ago my son disappeared from Spring Lake Ranch – a residential facility in Shrewsbury," Mike's mother, Sandra Hopkins, said in a telephone interview with Investigation Discovery. "Prior to his arrival there, Mike had been diagnosed with a variety of mental health problems, including OCD. His whole life had fallen apart and he had withdrawn from college because it was too difficult for him to concentrate on his school work. The simplest tasks became extremely difficult and it would often take him an hour just to put on his socks in the morning."
Sandra had hoped that by going to the ranch Mike would be able to get the help that he needed and would learn the skills required to live independently.
The ranch's Web site describes the facility as a licensed, therapeutic community that offers "adults and young adults with psychiatric illness, substance abuse problems, or dual diagnosis an opportunity for recovery through work and community participation. Since 1932, our core belief has been that the process of healing and recovery can best take place in a setting that is supportive and respectful yet does not treat people with mental illness as patients or cases."
Residents at the ranch commonly stay there for about six months and then have the option of moving on to the Aftercare Program, which consists of a transition to a community made up of other former residents, where they continue to receive support and learn daily living skills.
According to Sandra, Mike was having a hard time adjusting to life at the ranch when his supervisors suggested he move on to the Aftercare Program.
"It was difficult," Sandra said. "He had a friend there and his friend had actually brought drugs to the ranch, which is not acceptable. My son had a minor problem with it years ago, so when he found out what his friend had done he told the people in charge. As a result, his friend had to leave the community. My son was very upset about it."
On the day of his disappearance, Mike woke up early but was not feeling well and was hesitant to go to work. He asked a counselor if he could take the day off but she encouraged him to go about his normal routine.
"He worked in the woods for a few hours and then came back for lunch," Sandra said. "He was standing outside the lunchroom smoking and the person he was supposed to relieve asked him what he was doing and he said, 'I can't do it right now,' so she went back in and then he just disappeared."
Mike's supervisors were not immediately worried and figured he just needed some time to himself. However, when he failed to return later in the day they became concerned and began to search for him. They were unable to turn anything up but they did note that he had not taken any of his possessions with him. The only things he had were the clothes on his back and his wallet.
"At about 3:00 p.m., before I knew he was missing, I got a phone call and it was someone just breathing heavy," Sandra said. I did not think anything of it at the time and hung up the phone. When I was later contacted about his disappearance I thought back and wondered if that had been Mike, perhaps out of breath from running."
The Vermont State Police searched the woods around the ranch and questioned the residents but no one had any idea where Mike was. However, a few days later Sandra received another unusual phone call.
"I could hear his voice on the other end of the phone," Sandra said. "I kept calling his name but it was like he couldn't hear me and he was talking to somebody else. He said he had a friend he could stay with in College Park, Maryland, which is not far from where I live. I shouted his name and the phone just went dead. We tried everything but we couldn't trace the call. I immediately got on a plane and went to Vermont."
Sandra spent nearly two weeks in Vermont putting up missing person posters and trying to get information on her son. While there. a cashier at Wal-Mart said she thought she had seen him in the store but the manager would not let Sandra review the surveillance footage, so the police had to look through the tapes. Later, when she was able to see the images of the man in question it was difficult to determine if it was Mike. Whoever it was had purchased large quantities of water before leaving the store.
