The remains of a 36-year-old mother of two who was last seen walking barefoot along a rural Maine roadway this summer have been officially identified.
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, authorities confirmed that human remains discovered in late October in Blaine, Maine, belong to Tomis Hoyt, according to a statement from Maine State Police. The identification was made by the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Both the cause and manner of Hoyt’s death remain under investigation.
Hoyt, originally from Presque Isle, was last seen on July 13 on Robinson Road in Mars Hill — a small community in Aroostook County. At the time of her disappearance, officials said she was believed to be barefoot and without money.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed Hoyt walking along the roadway barefoot, wearing a pink-orange tank top and ripped jeans, as reported by local outlet WAGM.
Her family, speaking about a week after she vanished, shared that Hoyt had maintained sobriety for nearly ten years but continued to face challenges with mental health and addiction. Loved ones pleaded for assistance and expressed how out of character it was for her to suddenly cut off all communication.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(674x0:676x2):format(webp)/tomis-hoyt-2-111325-77377a2353574d0bb7bcdffe7f7ac7df.jpg)
“We’re her family, and we are the kind of help that she needs right now,” Hoyt’s aunt, Selena Hoyt Belser, told WAGM at the time. “We need to get her back, and we need to get her right.”
Aroostook County Sheriff Peter Johnson said investigators worked to keep the family informed with updates as the search continued.
Selena also made a direct plea to her niece: “For the love of God, come home. We want you to come home, Tomi.”
As the investigation continues, authorities have not provided additional details on the circumstances surrounding Hoyt’s death.
