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Connecticut Man Who Vanished a Decade Ago Found Dead After Living Under New Name in New York

A man who disappeared from Connecticut nearly a decade ago was found dead in New York under where he had been living under a new name.

Robert Hoagland was reported missing in Newtown, Conn. on July 29, 2013, after he failed to pick up a family member from the airport and did not show up to work, per NBC News. His cars, wallet, cellphone and medication were all found left at his house, and police reported that he was last spotted at a gas station in the town.

His disappearance launched a high-profile nationwide investigation, with people from around the U.S. reporting sightings of him, and he was even featured on the Investigation Discovery show Disappeared.

No one knew what happened to Hoagland until this week when the Sheriff's Department in Sullivan County, New York found him dead at a residence in Rock Hill.

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Robert Hoagland was last seen on July 28, 2013, in Newtown, Connecticut. Cops found him dead on Monday in a New York home, where he’d been living under a new identity.
Robert Hoagland was last seen on July 28, 2013, in Newtown, Connecticut. Cops found him dead on Monday in a New York home, where he’d been living under a new identity.

Newtown Police Department

He had been going under the pseudonym Richard King at the time, according to New Haven news station WTNH News 8.

The sheriff's department had trouble identifying the man at first until they found documents in his home linking him to the name Robert Hoagland. It worked with w detectives to confirm that Richard King and Robert Hoagland were the same man, per Newtown Eyewitness News 3.

Police said Hoagland had been living in Sullivan County masquerading under the new name since around November 2013.

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There were no signs of foul play nor a criminal aspect at the scene, according to the Sullivan County Sheriff's department, but his body has been sent to the Sullivan County Coroner for an autopsy to determine his cause of death.

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The man's son, Christopher Hoagland, told NBC News the family is still processing what happened.

"It's pretty confusing," he said. "We're trying to handle it right now to be honest. Haven't really figured out any details."

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He added that he had no idea why Hoagland decided to leave Connecticut without telling anyone and take on a new name.