A man who went missing in Newtown, Connecticut more than nine years ago was found dead around 89 miles away in Rock Hill, New York where he was living under a new name, police said.
Robert Hoagland, 59, had mysteriously disappeared in July 2013 after he was last seen at a gas station in surveillance footage.
His disappearance received large media attention and the case was featured in Investigation Discovery’s Disappeared: A Family Man in 2016.
Police said on Wednesday that Hoagland had been living under the pseudonym Richard King and was living in Sullivan county, New York.
“The detectives learned that Robert Hoagland had been living in Sullivan County since around November 2013 and was using the name Richard King,” Newtown Police Detective Lt Liam Seabrook said in a statement.
Police said Hoagland’s death showed no signs of foul play but his body was taken to Sullivan County Coroner for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
The police were called after his roommate called 911 at 3pm on Monday, saying Hoagland was experiencing a medical emergency, Undersheriff Eric Chaboty of Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said. The roommate referred to Hoagland as Richard King.
Sullivan County law enforcement initially responded to the “untimely death” of a man, but contacted Newton police after some documents under the name Hoagland were found.
Lt Seabrook said the Newtown Police Department sent condolences to the man’s family and friends.
He added that no further information will be released at this time as “there was no criminal aspect to Robert Hoagland’s disappearance” and the family requested privacy.
Hoagland apparently left home leaving valuable belongings like his wallet, cell phone and medication at home, according to NewsTimes.
He was supposed to pick up his wife from the airport a day after he was last seen at the gas station in 2013, where he used his credit card one last time.
In the 43-minute documentary on Discovery, the family members suspected that he might have met some “shady men” who stole the entire family’s computers.
Hoagland is survived by his wife and three sons.
It is not known why Hoagland went missing. “That’s a great mystery,” Mr Chaboty said.
