Authorities Confirm Identification of Human Remains in Maine as Missing Mother of Two

The remains of a missing mother of two, last seen walking without shoes, have been identified in Maine.

Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the remains found in Blaine late last month belong to 36-year-old Tomis Hoyt.

Although the investigation is ongoing, the cause of Hoyt’s death has yet to be determined. She was last observed walking along a Maine road in July.

Hoyt’s family reported her missing on July 13, noting she was barefoot when last seen on Robinson Road in Mars Hill, and believed to be without any money, as detailed by the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.

Security cameras captured Hoyt wearing a distinctive orange-pink tank top and ripped jeans, but no footwear, according to a report by WAGM.

A week following her disappearance, family members informed the media that Hoyt had been sober for almost ten years, though she had faced challenges with her mental health and addiction issues.

They made desperate pleas to the public for anyone housing Hoyt and begged for her safe return home. 

Hoyt’s last post on July 13 shared a petition that advocated for the reform of Maine’s State Child Protective Services for ‘unjust child removals and violations of parental rights.

The remains of Tomis Hoyt, 36, were announced to have been identified on Wednesday by Maine State Police after their discovery late last month in Blaine

Hoyt was last seen by her family on July 13, barefoot on Robinson Road in Mars Hill and believed to have been without any money

Her sister, Rici Hoyt, said on Facebook: ‘I tried. I screamed. I begged for help. I called every number I could find — pretrial, the sheriff’s office, Caribou PD — warning them that my sister needed medical help and protection.

‘I told them over and over that if something happened to her, it would be on them. They promised me she would be safe, that everything was set up for her to get help. Then they stopped returning my calls.

‘If law enforcement had acted when I had eyes on her, when she was wandering barefoot and begging for help — if the system hadn’t failed her again and again — we might not be here today.

‘I knew my sister. I knew what she needed. And I knew this county, this system, would not protect her. The people who were supposed to help, didn’t. And now we’re left waiting for confirmation of what I’ve feared all along.’

She later posted that it had been ‘confirmed — the body found in Blaine is my sister, Tomis.’

Around a week after her disappearance, her family told the outlet that she had been sober for nearly a decade but had struggled with her mental health and addiction

Hoyt’s sister, Rici, said she had called police to warn of her sister’s need for help and said ‘[Hoyt’s] spirit, her laugh, her heart, even her stubbornness — they’ll live on in every one of us who loved her’

‘There are no words big enough for this kind of pain. My heart is shattered. For months, I’ve held on to hope, prayed for a different ending — but today, that hope is gone, and all that remains is grief.’

Rici confirmed the ongoing investigation into the cause of her sister’s death and added her family are ‘waiting for answers’ as they prepare funeral arrangements. 

‘Tomi will never be forgotten. Her spirit, her laugh, her heart, even her stubbornness — they’ll live on in every one of us who loved her. Rest in peace, my beautiful sister. You are loved beyond measure, and missed beyond words.’