William Wayne Hilderbrand, also known as Billy and Jael, was 22 years old when he disappeared from Bangor, Maine, in early November 2010. Public missing-person records describe William as Native American/American Indian or Alaska Native, 5 feet 10 inches tall, about 155 pounds, with black hair and hazel eyes. Bangor Police identify him as William “Billy” Hilderbrand, while other public case summaries note that he was transgender, lived and dressed as a woman, and used the name Jael,
pronounced like the letters “JL.” He was affiliated with the Passamaquoddy Tribe from Pleasant Point, and online summaries describe him as someone who had lived in the Bangor area for several years, graduated from Shead High School in 2006, and studied cosmetology at Mr. Bernard’s School of Hair Fashion in Bangor before his disappearance.
The last known sighting centered on the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge, the span over the Penobscot River connecting Bangor and Brewer. According to reporting published shortly afterward by the Bangor Daily News, police were called just before midnight on November 4, 2010, after passing motorists reported seeing a woman standing at the edge of the bridge near the Bangor side. Brewer officers arrived first and saw a person jump into the Penobscot River. The identification found in a purse left on the bridge belonged to William Hilderbrand, then 22, though police initially noted that they could not technically verify the identity of the person who entered the water. Later public missing-person listings describe William as having been seen jumping from the bridge into the river during the nighttime hours.
The response that night was immediate and serious. Bangor fire officials said firefighters were dispatched at 11:55 p.m. and brought equipment, including a boat, to search the river. Police and firefighters searched for hours, including along the riverbanks, but no one was found. Authorities described the conditions as extremely difficult: the Penobscot River was cold, fast, and dangerous at that time of year. Later summaries of the case note that William did not resurface and that multiple searches of the river failed to locate him. A purse containing William’s identification and cellular phone was recovered on the bridge, a painful and personal detail that tied the missing-person investigation to the scene even as uncertainty remained in the earliest hours.
The known circumstances point to a disappearance in which the river itself became the central obstacle to answers. Public case summaries state that William was considered an excellent swimmer, but also note the possibility of intoxication and the danger posed by November river conditions, including swift current and rapid hypothermia. The Charley Project lists the case classification as lost/injured missing and notes a reported history of suicide attempts. These details are deeply sensitive, and they do not reduce William’s life to the final moments described in official and public records; they help explain why investigators and searchers treated the event as urgent and why recovery efforts in the Penobscot River may have been so difficult.
In the years since, William’s case has remained part of Bangor’s public missing-person listings. The Bangor Police Department continues to list William Hilderbrand among missing persons, with the department identified in public records as the investigating agency. The Maine State Police missing-persons page also explains that Maine’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner is the official state clearinghouse for missing people in Maine and uses NamUs to help track and manage case files. Public summaries state that William was legally declared dead in 2014, but that authorities considered the case open until his body was found and identified. Overall, this is the story of a young Passamaquoddy person known as William, Billy, and Jael, last seen at the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge between Bangor and Brewer, whose belongings were found but whose body was not recovered; despite searches, public listings, and years of uncertainty, the case remains defined by unanswered questions, a grieving community, and the continuing need for any information that could help bring resolution.Last Seen: Nov 5, 2010
