Dateline: Missing in America— Who was Jonathan Hoang, and what happened to him? Details of the case, explored

Dateline covered the case of 21-year-old Jonathan Hoang, who was last seen on March 30, 2025, at his home on the outskirts of Arlington, Washington. The following morning, his family realized that he was missing and reported it to the authorities.

Jonathan's disappearance attracted growing media attention from local and national media, ultimately being showcased on Dateline: Missing in America, an NBC News series that focuses on unsolved missing person cases throughout the United States.

Jonathan was living at home with his parents and two sisters. Jonathan is on the autism spectrum and was attending a transition program at Western High School in Arlington, a program that aimed at assisting students who had disabilities to acquire life skills and job training. His mother noted that he was missing when she went to wake him up for school. His family said that his disappearance is highly atypical, as he was not prone to wandering and usually remained in familiar environments.

---

What we know so far about Hoang's disappearance

According to Dateline, Jonathan was last seen by his family at around 7.30 p.m. As reported by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, he left his cell phone, wallet, and jacket behind. He wore a green polo shirt, khaki pants, and one black slip-on shoe that had originally belonged to his mother, at last glance. His sole companion was his Wi-Fi–only iPad, which cannot be used using cellular data.

There was no sign of a fight, and nothing unusual was seen before he disappeared. Jonathan's wallet, mobile phone, and social media have remained untouched since he left home last. His parents confirmed that there was no fight or anything that suggested that he was about to leave home.

---

Last known moments

Jonathan's father, Thao, claims that at 7:30 p.m., while he was using the treadmill for his daily run, Jonathan entered the room and asked if he could spend the night in the downstairs guest room. Thao recalled,

“I asked him why, and he said, ‘Well, the treadmill is kind of noisy. I said, ‘Well, it’s a short run — I’ll be done within an hour, way before your bedtime.’ And so he went back to his room.”

Stating that he was feeling under the weather, Jonathan went back and asked his father if he could skip school the next day. Thao replied,

"Well, if that’s the case tomorrow, take a rest. If you don’t feel well in the morning, talk with Mom and you can stay home"

Thao said that after that his son retired to the room. The last time he saw him was when Jonathan stated that he was going to sleep in the guest bedroom. The next morning his wife called him asking if he knew where their son was. Understanding that Jonathan was nowhere to be seen, they called the cops.

During the first search, they realized the only things missing were his Wi-Fi–only iPad, wired headphones, and his mother’s black slip-on gardening shoes. Everything else remained intact. His father told Dateline that Jonathan rarely broke his daily routine and patterns.

He also added,

"Jonathan has never displayed any behavior of running away or leaving, He has always expressed that he wants to stay home.”

---

Who was Jonathan Hoang?

Dateline: Missing in America featured Jonathan's case in one of their programs to assist in generating national media coverage for his missing. Jonathan was diagnosed with high-functioning autism and, as an adult with legal status, was estimated to have the cognitive capacity of a child of 8 or 9 years. . He required a structured situation and had no history of ever venturing out of the house alone.

His father, Thao Hoang, explained in a Dateline interview that,

"He has his behavior — his pattern of life — that he pretty much sticks to very rigorously. He does the same thing every day."

---

Search efforts and investigation

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office started a concerted search operation right after Jonathan disappeared on March 31. Ground patrols, drones, helicopters, K-9 units, and over 150 volunteers scoured the grounds. No confirmed contacts or leads were made even after crossing over 4,000 hours of search time. The search operation was formally brought to a close on April 6.

Detectives searched Jonathan's in-home electronics, including his computer and cell phone, and found no hint in any of them to suggest he was planning on running away. His iPad was useless because it did not have a trace location once it was taken off in-home Wi-Fi. During a Dateline interview, officials indicated that there was no conclusive evidence of foul play, but they did say that the lack of any trace whatsoever was highly unusual.

Jonathan's family has also publicly criticized the case's handling in the early stages. They told Dateline that police failed to send out an emergency alert in a prompt manner and that police did not initially deal with the situation with the level of urgency they felt that it deserved. The family then filed a formal complaint against the sheriff's office and called for the creation of a multi-agency task force to oversee the investigation.

---

Current efforts and public support

Although the ground search was canceled, the sheriff's office continues to follow up on leads and examine surveillance video. Crime Stoppers Puget Sound has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Jonathan. The family has also collected over $40,000 on GoFundMe to cover the cost of a private investigator.

Jonathan's parents told Dateline in an interview that,

"We have a lot of communities supporting us — our neighbors, friends supporting us, family came out to support us, and it’s great comfort. What’s unbearable for us is knowing that he’s somewhere alone, scared and hurt. He doesn’t have his medication. And I know that, you know, he’s asking for help and we’re not there to help him.”

They also encourage residents around the Puget Sound area to check doorbell cameras, the activity history of Wi-Fi devices, and even archived recordings that can have a detail missed among the prior reviews.

---

As Dateline: Missing in America continues to keep a spotlight on Jonathan Hoang's case, there remains hope for his family. What began as a quiet morning escalated into an open-ended nightmare for the Hoangs. There are no clues and no leads, and the case remains wide open—many questions with no answers and escalating fears.

Anyone with information, however minor, is encouraged to call: Snohomish County Sheriff's Office at (425) 388-3393.

Also read: Dateline: The Necklace — A complete timeline of the Taylor Wright murder case, revisited