On November 20, 2017, just days before Thanksgiving, 27-year-old Justin Hooiman was last seen in Salt Lake City, Utah. That morning, he left the Fortitude Treatment Center, a halfway house where he was residing, around 6:00 a.m. for his construction job. During his commute, he had a phone conversation with his mother, and they made plans to have lunch together later that day near his job site at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah.
This was the last time his mother would ever speak to him. When she called back a few minutes later to confirm the specific meeting location, Justin's phone was off. He never showed up for their lunch date and was not heard from again.
Justin's life had seen its share of challenges. A talented soccer player in high school, his future was altered by a leg injury that led to a prescription for OxyContin. This was the beginning of a difficult journey with opioid addiction, which later escalated to harder drugs following a shoulder surgery. His struggles with addiction resulted in a period of incarceration in 2016 for drug and theft-related offenses. In June 2017, he was released on parole and was residing at the Fortitude Treatment Center, where he was required to check in and out for work. It was reported that he had been experiencing some difficulties with other individuals at the treatment center around the time of his disappearance. His failure to return to the facility that evening led to him being listed as a fugitive and an absconder from parole. This classification remained until late 2019, when his case was officially reclassified as a missing person.
For years, his family held onto hope, desperately searching for answers. The investigation into his disappearance took a significant turn in March 2021, when authorities began treating it as a possible homicide based on information from a confidential informant. The painful uncertainty for Justin's loved ones came to a solemn end in 2025. On March 25, a person fishing at a pond near the Stonebridge golf course in West Valley City discovered human remains. In August of that year, the Utah Medical Examiner's Office confirmed through DNA analysis that the remains belonged to Justin Hooiman. This heartbreaking discovery closed the missing person case, bringing a devastating conclusion to a long and painful search. While his family finally had an answer to where Justin was, the investigation into the circumstances of his death continues. The overview of this case is a tragic story of a young man who, despite his personal battles, remained connected to his family and whose life ended under circumstances that are still being investigated.Last Seen: Nov 20, 2017
