Family of a missing person A Utah construction worker is desperate for answers years after he was last seen heading to a Salt Lake City construction site.
Justin Hooiman left for work around 6 a.m. on November 20, 2017. He called his mother along the way and they made plans to meet for lunch.
“He’s a spoiled 27-year-old who craved Chipotle,” his sister, Misty Beaver, told Fox News Digital. “He said, ‘Mom, I’m craving Chipotle, could you meet me for lunch?’ She of course accepted. »
MISSING UTAH COUPLE MAY HAVE BEEN SUCCEEDING IN FLASH FLOOD WHILE EXPLORING TRAIL
A missing person flyer for Justin Hooiman on a table at private investigator Jason Jensen’s booth during CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville on June 2, 2024. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
That was the last time anyone heard from him.
His mother, Marilyn Stevenson, went to pick him up from his job site, and he wasn’t there.
“He never showed up for work that day,” Beaver said. “So somewhere between leaving for work and arriving at work, he disappeared.”
His credit card has not recorded any new activity. His phone rang one last time and no one has heard from him since.
UTAH SQUATTER SUSPECTED IN DYLAN ROUNDS’ DEATH PLEADS GUILTY TO MURDER
Misty Beaver, left, and Marilyn Stevenson, right, are the sister and mother of missing Salt Lake City construction worker Justin Hooiman. They have been desperate for answers since he missed a lunch with Stevenson on Nov. 20, 2017, and hasn’t been seen since. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
In March 2021, investigators began looking into the case as a potential homicide after a federal informant alleged murder, according to the family.
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Hooiman’s family was among those who traveled to Nashville for CrimeCon 2024 last month to raise awareness of their loved ones’ unsolved cases and seek answers.
The former high school football star injured his leg and was prescribed the painkiller OxyContin, his sister said, a drug she now opposes for all uses and especially for young people patients.
Justin Hooiman shown wearing an American flag tank top and beanie in a selfie photo. (Justin Hooiman/Facebook)
He became addicted after another shoulder operation and began using harder drugs, she said, but he was in treatment and gainfully employed.
“He’s not a loser on the street,” Beaver said. “He means a lot to me and I miss his hugs every day of my life. »
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Hooiman is described as 6’1″ and weighed about 190 pounds when last seen in Salt Lake City. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Hooiman was living in a halfway house called Fortitude at the time of his disappearance. According to the family’s private investigator, Jason Jensen, Hooiman and another resident left together that morning.
“We are interested in hearing from the public about their experiences with dangerous individuals at Fortitude, particularly during the time period of November 2017,” Jensen told Fox News Digital. “We would like to know who resided there at that time and who may have visited people who resided there at that time.”
The case remains unsolved.
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Anyone with information is asked to call Salt Lake City Police at 801-799-3454.
The family is separately asking anyone who knew Hooiman while he lived in Fortitude to contact Jensen at 801-759-2248.
“I would love nothing more than to have someone help bring him home and close this case for us,” Beaver said.
