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Missing

William "Hokey" Hokanson Sr

A father and son vanish while on a fishing expedition in the Atlantic Ocean

  • Last updated: September 21, 2023
  • Atlantic Ocean, RI
  • March 25, 1990

Overview of William "Hokey" Hokanson Sr

William Hokanson Sr and his son vanished while fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.

William "Hokey" Hokanson Sr and his son, William "Billy" Hokanson Jr were last seen boarding their boat, the Sol-e-Mar on the shore of Fairhaven, MA on March 25, 1990. They planned to go for a fishing expedition on the Atlantic Ocean, but shortly after, the U.S. Coast Guard received a 4 second long distress call from Billy. Unfortunately, no one heard the call, so they did not receive the help they desperately needed.

William "Hokey" Hokanson Sr and William "Billy" Hokanson Jr.

The search begins.

On March 30, 1990, Mrs. Hokanson notified the U.S. Coast Guard that her husband, son, and two dogs they took with them have not returned from their fishing trip. At this point, the search for William and his son, Billy, officially began. Authorities searched the Atlantic Ocean for three days before suspending it without finding anything. In April of 1990, a volunteer search crew found the Sol-e-Mar sunken in the Atlantic Ocean, but they were unable to find any sign if William or Billy.

The Sol-e-Mar, the Hokanson's boat.

Where the case stands today.

In 1996, six years after William and Billy vanished at sea, human remains were dredged out of the Atlantic Ocean by a fisherman. Both men's dental records were compared with the unidentified remains, but results were inconclusive. In 2014, 24 years after William and Billy were last seen, they were officially reported missing by family members, with hopes that DNA and being added to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) may bring them home. According to Mrs. Hokanson, they simply never considered the two men to be missing persons, until 2014.

William "Hokey" Hokanson Sr and William "Billy" Hokanson Jr.

At the time of his disappearance, William was described as a 44 year old caucasian man with brown hair and blue eyes. He was 5'7" tall and weighed approximately 200 lbs. William has a tattoo of the Harley Davidson wings on his left arm. If you have any information regarding William's disappearance or his whereabouts, please contact the Massachusetts State Police at (508) 997-0711.

Information

  1. Date Missing:March 25, 1990
  2. Age at Incident:44
  3. NAMUS Number:MP25525
  4. Race:Caucasian / White
  5. Gender:Male
  6. Height:5'7"
  7. Weight:200 lbs
  8. Hair Color:Brown

Important People

Sources

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