ARLINGTON, Wash. — The family of a missing man with autism has filed a formal complaint against the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for how his case is being handled.
Jonathan Hoang went missing from his Arlington home on the evening of March 30.
He hasn’t been seen or heard from since, and his family worries he was kidnapped.
“I’m frightened that because of the label, him being autistic,” his sister Irene Hoang Pfister told KIRO 7 last week. “The people searching for him made an assumption, you know, that he just wandered off. But we think that someone took him.”
For about a week, rescue crews searched on foot, with K9 units, drones, and even helicopters to try and find Hoang. They didn’t have any luck and called off their search.
Pfister said the Snohomish County Sheriff’s deputies told her they won’t search again, that as an adult, he is free to leave.
“They said because there is no evidence of a crime taking place or foul play has taken place, they don’t think there’s much that major crimes will do,” she said, “which is really, it was devastating to hear yesterday.”
Upset by the response, the Hoang family contacted the FBI, which KIRO 7 confirmed with the FBI. According to Irene Hoang, the FBI then told the family to file a complaint.
“Major Crimes has done NO investigating and has not followed any of the leads our hired PI has offered,” Pfister said in an email this week to KIRO 7.
The family created a GoFundMe account to help pay for a private investigator and cover other costs to search for Hoang after the sheriff’s office called off their efforts.
KIRO 7 reached out to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, which confirmed they did receive the family’s formal complaint and an attorney has been assigned to review it.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office responded with the following statement regarding the complaint:
The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) unit led an extensive search effort involving more than 150 searchers, drones, our helicopter, K-9 teams, man trackers, and over 4,000 man hours over the 6 day search. Despite these efforts, Jonathan has not yet been located.
At this time, the investigation has been referred to our Major Crimes Unit. The lead detective is actively following up on all tips and detectives continue to review additional surveillance footage in hopes of identifying any possible sightings of Jonathan. At this time, there is no evidence of foul play or criminal activity.
Our investigations lieutenant met with the family for several hours today to help sort through some of the confusion related to Jonathan’s case and answer any additional questions they have.
Detectives have also conducted a thorough analysis of Jonathan’s cell phone and computer - no information has been found that provides insight into why or how he left his home.
We understand the pain, grief, and uncertainty his loved ones are facing, and we are committed to the same goal—bringing Jonathan home.
We continue to ask for the public’s help. Anyone with information regarding Jonathan Hoang’s whereabouts is asked to call 9-1-1.
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