How Did This Missing Man Start a New Life !

Imagine your husband calls from work, says he’ll be home soon… then vanishes.

No note. No goodbye. No body.

Just gone.

That’s exactly what happened in 1993 when Richard Hoagland, a married father of two from Indiana, disappeared — with no trace and no warning.

For two decades, his family believed he was dead.

Then, in 2016, police in Florida found him — alive, remarried, and living under a stolen identity.

This is the wild, true story of how one man faked his death, ran away from his life, and lived in plain sight for 23 years — without anyone noticing.

🧔 Richard Hoagland: A Regular Husband with a Hidden Plan

In 1993, Richard was a 36-year-old businessman living in Indianapolis, Indiana.

He had a wife, Linda, and two sons, Matthew and Douglas. From the outside, they looked like a normal American family.

But something was off.

He had money problems. A few legal issues. And maybe, just maybe — a secret he couldn’t hide anymore.

On February 10, 1993, he called Linda and said he was feeling sick and would go to the hospital.

He never showed up.

🚨 The Sudden Disappearance

Linda panicked. She called hospitals. Police. Friends. Nothing.

His car was found at the airport — but no plane ticket.

His passport was untouched.

No credit card or bank activity.

No body. No clue. No goodbye.

Linda was left with:

Two sons to raise

No income

A stack of unpaid bills

And zero closure

Eventually, Richard was declared legally dead.

📬 Strange Clues Begin to Surface

A few months later, bizarre things started happening.

Linda received a birthday card sent after Richard disappeared — from a city in Texas

Later, another letter came — this time postmarked Louisiana

But police couldn't trace them. And Richard stayed off the grid.

Eventually, the case faded into cold case status.

His sons grew up without a father. Linda rebuilt her life. They moved on — or tried to.

🕵️ A Twist No One Expected — 23 Years Later

Fast-forward to 2016. In Florida, a man named Terry Symansky was living in the Tampa area. He had a wife, a teenage son, and worked as a landlord.

But one day, a nephew of the real Terry Symansky was researching family history — and found something disturbing:

His dead uncle’s name was on a current marriage license.

The real Terry Symansky had died in a boating accident in 1991.

Someone had stolen his identity.

That someone was Richard Hoagland.

👮 The Arrest: A Double Life Exposed

Police tracked Richard down.

When they knocked on his door, he didn’t resist.

He admitted everything:

“I just wanted to get out. I was tired of my life.”

He had:

Stolen the identity of a dead man

Moved to Florida

Started a new family

Lied for over two decades

He was arrested for identity theft, not murder — because technically, he hadn’t committed any physical crimes before disappearing.

💔 The Fallout: Two Families Shattered

Linda and her sons were shocked.

For 23 years, they believed Richard was dead.

Now they learned:

He was alive

Had married someone else

Had a new son

Had been living comfortably while they struggled

His son Matthew said:

“We grieved for him. We buried him in our minds. Now he’s just… back?”

The second wife, who knew him only as Terry Symansky, was devastated. She had no idea she was married to a fake.

🧩 Why Did He Do It?

Richard never gave a full answer. He claimed:

He was overwhelmed

He wanted to “start over”

He thought disappearing would be easier than facing the mess he’d made

He offered no real apology to his first family.

Many believe the truth is deeper — that he may have had hidden criminal debts, or was afraid of prosecution.

But nothing has ever been proven.

⚖️ Legal Outcome

In 2016, Richard Hoagland pleaded guilty to identity theft and was sentenced to 2 years in prison.

He served his time and was released in 2018.

As for his second family — they changed their names and tried to disappear from the media circus. His first family never spoke to him again.

🧠 What Makes This Case So Disturbing?

He Wasn’t Running from Danger — He just walked away from his kids

He Was Hiding in Plain Sight — For over 20 years, no one caught him

He Left Two Families Broken — All for his own selfish “fresh start”

📺 Media and Documentaries

This bizarre true story has been featured on:

Inside Edition

Dr. Phil

Disappeared on Investigation Discovery

YouTube true crime channels with millions of views

It’s now known as one of the most disturbing cases of faked death and identity theft in modern U.S. history.

❓Final Question: How Many People Are Living New Lives Right Now?

Richard Hoagland’s story makes you wonder...

How many people have simply walked away from their lives — and never looked back?

The internet makes hiding harder — but not impossible.

Maybe right now, someone you know is not who they say they are.

And maybe… they never were.