Jonathan Hoang Part 1: When the Pattern Broke

Jul 14, 2025

A young man named Jonathan Hoang mysteriously disappears from his home in Arlington, Washington, sparking a desperate search by his family and community. The podcast explores Jonathan's close bond with his sister and the emotional impact of his autism diagnosis. As they dive into the peculiar circumstances of his vanishing, listeners feel the family's anguish and frustration over the search's challenges. The narrative highlights the importance of understanding and advocating for individuals with differing abilities while shedding light on the anxieties surrounding safety in the community.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Unusual Early Bedtime Request

Jonathan asked to sleep downstairs early because the treadmill was noisy, which was unusual.
Later, he requested to stay home from school, then went downstairs to sleep, staggeringly departing soon after without notification.

ADVICE

Collect Surveillance Early

Collect and preserve all available neighborhood surveillance footage promptly after a disappearance.
This footage can quickly narrow down the timeline and possible routes of the missing individual.

ADVICE

Thorough Neighborhood Checks Needed

Police should conduct thorough neighborhood door-to-door inquiries early in missing persons cases.
Not relying on resource constraints ensures no potential leads or community members are overlooked.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Twenty-one-year-old Jonathan Hoang disappeared from his home in Arlington, Washington, sometime between the evening of Sunday, March 30, and the early morning hours of Monday, March 31, 2025.

On the night of March 30, Jonathan asked his father if he could sleep in the downstairs guest room, saying the sound of the treadmill was bothering him. A short while later, he returned to say he wasn’t feeling well and asked to stay home from school the next day. His father suggested waiting to see how he felt in the morning. Around 8 PM, Jonathan told his dad he was heading to bed downstairs. It was a small deviation from routine that was odd, but not alarming. The next morning, Jonathan’s mother went to wake him for school and found that Jonathan was gone.

Jonathan is on the autism spectrum and lived a quiet, structured life. He spent most of his time at home with his family or at school, where he was enrolled in a transitional program for young adults designed to help them build independent living skills and prepare for work.

Jonathan was a creature of habit, and his routines brought him comfort. One of those routines was walking the same path through the neighborhood, always wearing the same jacket with a hood, even on the hottest days. That jacket became a part of how neighbors recognized him. But on the morning his mother discovered he was missing, the jacket was still inside the house. The items missing along with him were his iPad and earbuds. He left behind his phone, his beloved jacket, and every indication of routine.

His family called the police immediately. Search and rescue teams canvassed the area, and neighbors helped in the effort. Despite extensive early searches, no sign of Jonathan was ever found. Months have passed since Jonathan disappeared, and his family continues to search and to fight for answers.

You can follow the family’s search efforts on social media at Help Us Find Jonathan Hoang – Endangered & Missing Person on Facebook.

There is currently a $100,000 reward for information. If you see Jonathan, please call 911 immediately.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Jonathan Hoang, please contact the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at 425-388-3393 or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or through the P3 Tips App, where tips may remain anonymous.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

Follow The Vanished on social media at:

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.