23 years after Amber Hoopes' disappearance, her family and officials mark Missing Persons Day

IDAHO FALLS – A dejected crowd of 50 people gathered at the Bonneville District Courthouse Saturday afternoon to pay their final respects to Amber Hoopes and raise awareness of her disappearance and the cases of dozens of other missing people in Idaho.

“23 years ago today, Amber Hoopes disappeared and has been missing ever since,” said Sergeant Bryan Lovell, spokesman for the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.

On September 14, 2001, 20-year-old Hoopes was kidnapped from her grandparents' house at night, said her aunt Audra Burgener.

She was last seen the previous evening at 10:30 p.m., “in a white T-shirt, gray-and-white boxer shorts and a knee-length terry cloth bathrobe,” said a memorial poster at the ceremony.

At 1 a.m. her grandmother woke up and Hoopes was no longer in her room. The light in her bedroom was on and the television was still on.

According to Idaho Cold Cases, her grandparents lived on Lincoln Road in Bonneville County next to an auto repair shop.

A truck from the shop was stolen and later found abandoned at the intersection of Ammon and Lincoln Road.

According to a press release from the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office, one of the suspects in this case was involved in another kidnapping the following June 2002. The suspect was pursued by BCSO officers to the Big Hole Mountains in Madison County.

A shootout ensued, killing a Bonneville County Sheriff's dog and wounding a deputy. The deputies returned fire. The suspect was hit and subsequently took his own life, the press release said.

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

A local activist named Emily, host of the podcast “She's Missing,” quoted Burgener's account of her grief and sorrow: “Eight years ago we lost my brother to death and I always thought there was nothing worse than death – and it is. For families who don't have answers, the pain of losing a loved one can be even more unbearable than the loss to death. The uncertainty hangs over them like a shadow every day.”

Amber Hoopes' aunt Audra Burgener speaks about her niece Amber Hoopes at the Missing Persons Day memorial service. | David Pace, EastIdahoNews.com

Missing Persons Day has been observed in Idaho since 2005 on the anniversary of Hoopes' disappearance.

“On this day, we want to remember the missing and, through awareness, education and prevention, give our community the tools they need should this nightmare ever happen to their family,” Burgener said.

Idaho Falls City Councilman Jim Francis and Bonneville County Commissioner Jon Walker read a joint proclamation from 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 sought, regardless of their age,” Walker read.

The numbers are shocking. The statement says:

• In 2001, the U.S. government recorded more than 840,000 missing persons reports.
• “At the end of 2023, there were 214 active missing persons cases open in Idaho.
• “The Idaho State Police report that there are 80 adults missing in Idaho at any given time and there are 47,842 missing adults 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 proclamation for Missing Persons Day. | David Pace, EastIdahoNews.com

In a separate statement, Governor Brad Little said:

• “In 2023, there were 138 missing persons cases reported in Idaho, of which nine were still active and 129 were resolved.
• “Reports of online lure increased by more than 300% between 2021 and 2023.
• “In 2023, there were 298 attempted child abductions involving 381 children; more than 19,705 incidents have been reported since 2005.
• “Nationwide, of the more than 28,800 children reported missing in 2023, one in six were likely victims of child sex trafficking, with 82% of those victims between the ages of 10 and 14 and 92% female.”

Francis urged community members to take concrete actions to help local law enforcement solve these cases.

“The next time local police ask the public to make sacrifices and hire cold case investigators who focus exclusively on unsolved cases, we need people like you to come to elected officials and say, 'Now is the time,'” Francis said. “We need this! This is a concrete step we can take.”

A proposal to build an East Idaho Forensic Pathology Center on the Idaho State University campus that would serve 17 counties was rejected by Bannock County Commissioners in April.

RELATED TOPICS | Bannock County commissioners reject East Idaho forensic pathology centerR

“Currently … forensic research in this part of the state is still in the dark ages,” Walker said. “We have to go to Boise, and that is time-consuming, expensive and ineffective. The delay for the families (is unreasonable) and slows down the process.”

Saturday's memorial service is intended to draw attention to the plight of those whose cases are still awaiting resolution.

“We chose this day to remember not only Amber Hoopes and her family, but the other missing people in our state and across the country who have not yet been found, whose families are still out there and whose search is ongoing,” Lovell said.

The Bonneville County Sheriff's Office continues to seek information about Hoopes' disappearance and other unsolved cases.

“We hope to raise awareness and uncover missing pieces of this and other cases that have not yet been solved,” the sheriff's office said in a news release. “If you have any information about an unsolved missing person or case, please contact your local police 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.”

Ultimately, remembering those who have not yet been found keeps hope and memories alive.

“Remember. Think of the missing,” Emily said. “Every conversation, every memory shared keeps these cases alive. As individuals, we all have a role to play, and our collective efforts – no matter how small they may seem – can really make a big impact and help bring the truth to light.”

A memorial service for the missing people was held Saturday in Bonneville County Courthouse. | David Pace, EastIdahoNews.com

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