23 years after Amber Hoopes’ disappearance, her family and officials commemorate ‘Missing Persons Day’

IDAHO FALLS — A somber crowd of 50 people gathered at the Bonneville County Courthouse Saturday afternoon to honor Amber Hoopes, raising awareness about her disappearance and the cases of dozens of other missing individuals in Idaho.

“Twenty-three years ago today, Amber Hoopes went missing and then has been missing since,” said Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Bryan Lovell. “We picked this day to memorialize, to recognize and remember not just Amber Hoopes and her family, but the other missing individuals across our state and across the country yet to be discovered, that still have families out there, that are still being solved.”

On Sept. 14, 2021, twenty-year-old Hoopes was abducted in the night from her grandparents home, her aunt Audra Burgener said.

She was last seen at 10:30 p.m. the night before “wearing a white T-shirt, gray and white boxer shorts and a knee length terry cloth robe,” stated a memorial poster at the tribute.

At 1 a.m., her grandmother awoke, and Hoopes was missing from her room. The light in her bedroom was on, and the television was still running.

Her grandparents lived on Lincoln Road in Bonneville County next to an auto body shop, according to Idaho Cold Cases.

A truck from the shop was stolen and was later located discarded at the Ammon and Lincoln Road intersection.

According to a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office news release, one suspect in the case participated in an additional kidnapping the following June in 2022. The suspect was pursued by BCSO deputies clear up into the Big Hole Mountains in Madison County. Shooting ensued, and one Bonneville County Sheriff’s K-9 was killed and a deputy was injured. The deputies shot back. The suspect was hit and then proceeded to take his own life, the release said.

More than two decades later, the case into Amber Hoopes is still open and active.

A local advocate named Emily, host of the She’s Missing podcast, quoted Burgener’s account of her grief and heartache, “Eight years ago, we lost my brother in death, and I always thought there was nothing worse than death — and this is what it is. For families that are left without answers, the pain of a loved one going missing can feel even more unbearable than loss from death. The uncertainty hangs over them like a shadow every day.”

Amber Hoopes’ aunt Audra Burgener talks about her niece Amber Hoopes at the “Missing Persons Day” memorial.

“Missing Persons Day” has been commemorated in Idaho since 2005.

“This day is to remember those missing through awareness, education and prevention to provide our community with tools that they need if this nightmare ever happened to their family,” Burgener said.

Idaho Falls City Councilman Jim Francis and Bonneville County Commissioner Jon Walker read a joint proclamation issued by the City of Idaho Falls and Bonneville County — signed by Mayor Rebecca Casper and County Commissioners Roger Christensen, Bryon Reed and Walker.

“All missing persons deserve to be searched for, regardless of their age,” Walker read.

The numbers are staggering. According to the declaration:

In 2001, “more than 840,000 missing person reports were logged by the federal government in the United States. “At the end of 2023, 214 active missing person cases were open in Idaho. “Idaho State Police reports that Idaho has 80 missing adults at any one time and 47,842 missing adults are listed in the National Crime Information Center database.” Idaho Falls City Councilman Jim Francis (left) and Bonneville County Commissioner Jon Walker (right) read a joint “Missing Persons Day’ proclamation.

A separate declaration from Gov. Brad Little declared:

“In 2023, “138 missing persons cases were reported in Idaho, with nine still active and 129 resolved. “Reports of online enticement increased more than 300% between 2021 and 2023. “In 2023, there were 298 attempted abduction involving 381 children, with over 19,705 incidents reported since 2005.” “Nationally, of the more than 28,800 reported missing children in 2023, one in six were likely victims of child sex trafficking, with 82% of these victims aged between 10-14 years old, and 92% being female.”

Francis called for concrete action from community members to help local law agencies resolve these cases.

“The next time local law enforcement asks the community to make the sacrifice to have cold case detectives dedicated to cold cases, we need people like you to come to the elected officials and say, ‘Now is the time,'” Francis said. “We need this! It’s one concrete step we can do.”

A proposal to build an East Idaho Forensic Pathology Center serving 17 counties the on Idaho State University campus was voted down by Bannock County Commissioners in April.

RELATED | Bannock County Commissioners vote down East Idaho Forensic Pathology Center

“Currently … forensics research on this half of the state is still in the dark ages,” Walker said. “We have to go to Boise, and that’s time-consuming, costly and not effective. The delay for the families (is unconscionable) and it slows down the process.”

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office is still seeking information into Hoopes and other unsolved cases.

“Our hope is to bring awareness and uncover missing pieces of these and other cases that have yet to be discovered,” the sheriff’s office stated in a release. “If you have information about an unsolved missing person or cold case, please contact your local Law Enforcement or the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and speak with a Detective. Tips and information can always be shared anonymously through East Idaho Crime Stoppers online at www.IFcrime.org.”

In the end, remembering those who have not yet been found keeps hope and their memory alive.

“Don’t forget. Remember the missing,” Emily said. “Every conversation, every shared memory keeps these cases alive. As individuals, we all have a part to play, and our combined efforts — no matter how small they may seem — they really can make a big impact and help bring the truth to light.”