Husband disappears without a trace - reappears after 23 years
Linda and Richard were a typical American family. The couple lived in Indianapolis with their two sons, Matthew and Douglas. They led a comfortable life, not wealthy but not poor either. They seemed happy and content.
However, in the year when Matthew turned nine and Douglas six, a dark cloud appeared and would darken the family's happiness for many years. Richard Hoagland carried a secret in his heart.
Richard's dark secret
In that year, Richard began displaying strange behavior. He started locking himself in his room and withdrawing from family conversations. Linda noticed that Richard was behaving differently, but she thought he was stressed because of work.
Matthew and Douglas had no idea that something was wrong. They still believed they were part of a normal, happy family. In hindsight, it seemed like Richard was secretly planning something.
A very strange call
On February 10, 1993, like any weekday, Linda went to work at a doctor's office. At 4:45 pm, Richard called Linda at work. He told her that he was on his way to the emergency room because he wasn't feeling well.
Linda said she would leave work and meet Richard at the hospital, but Richard said he couldn't wait. Linda picked up Douglas from kindergarten and arrived home at 5:25 pm. When she got home, she noticed that Richard had left Matthew home alone.
Where could Richard have gone?
Linda was angry that Richard had left his son alone at home, but she also worried that something serious might have happened to him. Linda called all the hospitals in their area, but Richard hadn't been to any of them.
Linda searched their house and saw that Richard's belongings were still where they always were. His toothbrush was in the bathroom, and all his clothes were in his closet. His passport was still in the house, as was his coat.
The life he left behind
Linda began to worry greatly. Less than an hour after she had arrived home, she received a call that shook her to the core. Richard called his wife and said, "I can't continue living like this. I feel like you would be better off without me." He hung up without giving Linda any time to respond. A few hours later, he called Linda again and said, "I don't want to go to prison. I will never come back."
Richard's car was found abandoned a few days after his last call. Linda had various airlines search their records to see if Richard had left the country, but no one could find any evidence that he had bought a plane ticket. Richard called Linda two more times, but she couldn't get any further information from him. The phone numbers were from countries like Venezuela and Aruba.
He contacted Matthew on his birthday
A few months later, Richard sent a card to his family on Matthew's 10th birthday. A few months after that, when Douglas turned seven, he also received a card from Richard. That was the last time the family received any written correspondence from Richard.
Apparently, Richard had not been honest with Linda about their financial situation. He had maxed out all their credit cards and even forged Linda's signature on a bank loan. Linda filed for divorce, and Richard was ordered to pay unpaid taxes, various loans, and debts.
What Richard wrote in the cards
In the birthday cards, Richard wrote, "I love you and miss seeing you. Let your mother help you spend this money. Maybe she wants to put something away. Maybe we'll see each other again soon. I bet I won't even recognize you, it's been so long. Take care of your mother. Bye, Dad."
"At first, you think, 'Okay, this won't last long. He will come back,'" said Matthew Hoagland to ABC. Linda added, "He destroyed us. He left us with nothing, absolutely nothing."
What happened to Linda
After Richard left, Linda found herself in great financial difficulties. She was unable to pay her mortgage or car loan. When she felt all hope was lost, the police began questioning Linda about Richard's disappearance.
The police seemed to suspect that Linda knew where Richard was hiding. Linda told them that she was the victim in this case and had no idea where Richard had gone. Nevertheless, the police continued to interrogate her.
Linda had to file for bankruptcy
The police didn't stop questioning Linda about Richard. They seemed to believe that Richard and Linda were in cahoots and that this was an elaborate financial fraud scheme.
Linda had no time to deal with the police because she was busy trying to figure out how to support her children. Unable to pay her bills, she had to file for personal bankruptcy. It was the last thing Linda wanted to do, but she had no choice.
Was Linda being watched?
Linda decided that Richard was a coward. Instead of facing his financial problems head-on, he chose to run away and leave his family with the problems he had caused. Linda and her sons had to move in with her parents while they tried to get back on their feet.
Slowly, Linda noticed that strange people seemed to be following her. Strange cars would park outside her parents' house at all hours of the night. She also noticed that someone was opening and resealing her mail. She had to take action to protect her family.
She moved to protect her children
Things got scary when Linda found a spy app on her phone. She thought that Richard may have gotten involved with some rather dangerous people. She decided to leave the city to protect her family. Linda, Matthew, and Douglas moved to McCordsville, Indiana, and went into hiding. Linda made sure that all their bills were addressed to her parents' names so that no one could trace them.
Linda and the boys remained in hiding for over six months. Although things were gradually getting better, they still lived in fear. Linda was still under police surveillance and felt she had no support.
23 years later, Richard was found
Richard had been missing until 2016. Then, a police officer named Anthony Cardillo from the Pasco County Sheriff's Department in Florida made an astonishing discovery. He called Linda and asked, "Do you know who Richard Hoagland is?" Linda was completely shocked to hear that name again.
Apparently, Richard had relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida while Linda and her sons were struggling. He remarried and had another son with his new wife. The detective informed Linda that he had arrested Richard for assuming the identity of a deceased person.
The man Richard wasn't
Richard ran away from his family and rented a house while he contemplated his next moves. In this rented house, he found a death certificate belonging to a man named Terry Smansky, who died in 1991.
Richard assumed Terry's identity and cut ties with everyone he knew in Indianapolis. Richard, now Terry, got a whole new life. He got a new job, eventually bought a new home, and started a new family.
Richard took advantage of a grieving father
The owner of the house Richard rented when he first left his wife was Edward Symansky, Terry Symansky's father. Edward was still grieving the loss of his son and often shared stories about his son's life with Richard.
Richard exploited the grieving father by stealing the identity of his deceased son. He took advantage of Edward's honesty and desire for closeness. Cynthia Bujnak, Terry's sister, said to People, "My father was grieving and pouring his heart out. My father was the victim."
Richard was finally arrested
The nephew of the real Terry Smansky was researching on Ancestry.com when he noticed something very peculiar. His uncle, who had been dead for over two decades, appeared to be alive and had recently obtained a pilot's license. The nephew immediately contacted the authorities, leading to Richard's arrest.
In July 2016, the police went to Terry Symansky's house and arrested Richard Hoagland. He was jailed at the Pasco County Detention Facility on a $25,000 bond.
Paying for his crimes
Richard was eventually formally charged with all the crimes he had committed in Indiana all those years ago. He was also accused of stealing the identity of a deceased person.
Some of his crimes had exceeded the statute of limitations, but Richard definitely didn't get away unscathed. He had caused a lot of hardship for many people and abandoned his own two children. There was no way for him to escape the consequences of what he had done.
Another shattered family
Richard's new wife and son had no idea that he had left his family and assumed the identity of a dead person. Richard's third son is now an adult and still hasn't met his half-brothers.
Richard's second wife (though she actually married Terry Symansky) is Mary Hossler Hickman. She married Terry in 1995. After Richard's arrest, Mary found a briefcase containing documents about her husband's true identity. It also included a property deed in Louisiana and the key to a storage unit.
Matthew and Douglas
Matthew and Douglas have never really recovered from what their father did to them. Matthew had to become the man of the house at a young age. He had to support his mother while she dealt with Richard's actions.
Douglas ended up serving multiple prison sentences for drug offenses. In a letter to his father, Douglas said that he forgives Richard and doesn't hold him responsible for his own drug problems. However, he still wonders why he left.
Running from the past
Matthew Hoagland is now 33 years old. He is married and has children of his own. He can't understand how a father can run away from his own children. Matthew said that when he was younger, he had hope that his father would come back to take him, his mother, and his brother.
He now knows that all the hope in the world couldn't have brought his father back. Matthew now wears his father's wedding ring as a reminder of the person he never wants to become.
Why did he do it?
Richard's children both have the same question. Why? Richard has refused to give an explanation for his despicable actions. He hasn't said that he felt overwhelmed financially or that he didn't know how to provide for his family.
The family of Terry Symansky was also hurt by Richard's actions. We still don't know why Richard believed it was acceptable to exploit the kindness of another person. Richard is now in prison. Hopefully, he will use this time to truly reflect on the pain he has caused.
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