It was a mystery that left Linda Iseler and her family scratching their heads. Her husband, Richard Hoagland seemingly disappeared without a trace one day. Linda was left alone to take care of their two small children, which was hard enough without being suspected of foul play by the police.
Double Life Or Double Lies?
The police were sure that Linda either knew where he was, or had been involved in his disappearance.
Richard had walked away from his average life and moved on in a way no one suspected, and when he finally got caught, the tale unraveled. At the end, two families would be devastated by what they learned. To know what happened in this twisted tale, you have to go to the beginning of it all.
Learn how the mystery unraveled...
Everyday American Family
Richard and Linda were the typical happy American family. The couple lived in Indianapolis, Indiana and lived a relatively normal life where nothing seemed amiss. From the outside, the family seemed like the American dream, with days spent with the children, Matthew and Douglas.
Like is the case with most couples, Richard and Linda argued occasionally about money or how to parent, but nothing was out of the ordinary. That is, until the boys were nine and six years old because then the family’s simple life took a turn when Richard make a shocking choice and set a plan into action.
Richard's Changing Behavior
Richard had a secret, and he was planning to leave his family in a way that no one saw coming, nor could they see how this story would end. He started withdrawing from Linda, likely to make it easier to enact his plan. Linda observed the changes in his demeanor but shrugged it off, thinking he was tired or just stressed.
She didn’t know the real truth he was hiding, nor did her sons. To the three of them, Richard was still the same dad, dependable and a complete family man. They would soon find out they were wrong when Richard made his next move. Their happy family would soon be no more and Linda would be alone…
Richard Disappears
Richard refused to talk to his wife about his sudden change in behavior, and the issue was dropped. The day everything changed, Linda was treating it like any other day, because to her, it was. Richard had other plans. It was February 10, 1993 and Linda was at work at a local medical office.
She received a call a little before 5 o’clock; it was Richard, and he was feeling ill, he said. Richard planned to head to the Emergency Room immediately, because it “couldn’t wait.” Linda offered to go to the ER and meet him, but he refused. She decided to pick up Douglas from daycare, then headed home. There she found Matthew left alone, and Richard nowhere to be found.
Where Had Richard Gone?
Worried, Linda called the local hospitals, but none had any record of Richard in the ER. What she found in the rest of the house was just as disturbing; none of Richard’s clothes were missing, and his toothbrush and personal items were undisturbed. Richard’s disappearance happened in the middle of a cold day, and he had gone out without his coat, which was strange.
Linda couldn’t find any evidence of foul play, and wondered what had happened. Richard and Linda lived a comfortable lifestyle, so why had he disappeared? Had something gone wrong on the way to the hospital? Linda was left with many questions, but no answers.
Richard Contacts Linda
Why would he leave their happy life? What was he hiding from her? Linda got a sliver of an answer when Richard called. The only thing he said to Linda was “I can’t live this way anymore. I feel you would be better off without me.” After he spoke, he hung up and Linda was left wondering nothing but why? That wouldn’t be the only call Richard would make to Linda.
Several hours later, he called Linda again, this time saying, “I don’t want to go to jail. I’m never coming back.” Now Linda was even more confused as to what happened, but things were not looking good. Richard had apparently committed a crime, and he wasn’t going to be around to take the fall either.
What Richard Left Behind
The plot would only thicken when Richard’s car was found at the airport. There was no record of Richard buying a ticket at any airline, and the car gave no clues as to his whereabouts. Richard called a few more times, and each time, the calls came collect from exotic places far from Indianapolis -- once in Aruba and once in Venezuela.
Why was Richard there? Police started investigating the disappearance while Linda tried to make life as normal as possible for her two children. Would Linda soon become a suspect in the disappearance of Richard? It was enough to make the poor mom feel more upset than she’d ever been, and she couldn’t see what was coming next. Richard would contact the family again by sending birthday cards to each son on their respective birthdays.
Richard's Financial Crimes
Inside the cards would be $50 and a note to “mind their mother.” However, Richard had left plenty of money issues behind in his wake, and $100 he sent to his sons was just a drop in the bucket. Linda discovered that Richard’s deceit had left her in dire financial straits.
Not only had he almost used up every balance on their credit cards, he had even taken out a bank loan by forging Linda’s signature. For Linda, the financial deceit was the last straw. She filed for a divorce, and when it was granted, the judge included an order for Richard to pay the couple’s taxes, loan balances, debts, and over 20 credit cards.
Linda Tries To Pick Up the Pieces
What good, however, was a judge’s order, when Richard was nowhere to be found? Linda knew it was all over and that she probably wouldn’t see him again, but her sons thought their father would come around soon. Richard even wrote in the boys’ cards “Maybe sometime soon we will get to see each other. I bet I won’t even know you it has been so long.”
Linda was left to try to make life as normal as possible for the children, even in the face of their father’s deceit. Linda would later tell ABC News “He devastated us. He left us with nothing, absolutely nothing. I was very broken.” Those around Linda were left with just one question: Why would he leave?
Linda Becomes A Suspect
Going to one income from two was hard on Linda, and she was struggling to keep up with financial obligations, including the mortgage and auto loans. The police weren’t concerned with the money troubles Linda had, however, as they were thinking that she knew where Richard had gone off to or knew what caused his disappearance.
Linda insisted that she didn’t know anything, but the cops didn’t really believe her. She kept sticking to her story, despite multiple interrogation sessions by the police. Linda told them about the phone calls and that he said he wasn’t returning, but it wasn’t enough to stop the investigation, and in fact, they thought she was in on it.
Linda Loses It All
The police developed a theory that Linda was aware of her husband’s whereabouts, and was even going to meet up with him along with the children. They kept questioning her, and one detective insisted it was a hoax, that Richard was fine. Linda wasn’t fine though, and was in dire financial ruin. She had her medical office job, but it wasn’t enough to deal with the bills.
She finally had to file for bankruptcy, and this, along with her husband’s disappearance, was stretching her to her limits. She had to keep it together for their children, though, and do her best. Linda was luckily able to lean on her parents, but still, it was hard to go on without Richard, especially with children under the age of 12.
Were They Being Followed?
As Linda kept trying to go on as best she could, she couldn’t help but notice that things were odd around her. She had the feeling she was being watched, and that her every move was under surveillance. Could she be tailed by investigators who were watching to see if she met Richard? Cars she didn’t recognize were often parked outside the family home, and strange people were following her.
Even Linda’s mail was subject to the activity, as it appeared to be opened then sealed closed. Her home wasn’t safe either, as things seemed to be disturbed or relocated throughout the house. What Linda’s father found next in the phone would surprise everyone, and Linda was left to assume the worst now about Richard.
Linda Goes Into Hiding
Linda’s father discovered that her phone was bugged, with a recording device attached to monitor her calls. When they made this discovery, Linda was sure that Richard had been dealing with dangerous people, and they were targeting her now, but for what?
Richard’s money deceit pointed to all signs that he was in way over his head with his activities -- whatever they may be -- and had to skip town at the sake of his family. Linda had other problems too, because the loans she struggled to pay were too fargone: the bank took her car and home. Richard’s disappearance had ruined everything for Linda and her boys.. Linda knew she needed to leave. It was time for her to go into hiding with her sons.
Linda's New Life
Linda and her boys moved to a small town in Indiana, a city called McCordsville, where the population was under 5,000. There, she thought, they would be safe from being followed. Linda was making all of the moves she could to keep her children safe from Richard’s nefarious activities. She had all of the bills for the home put in her parents’ names instead of her own, to make it harder to locate her.
Her sons went to school like normal but she insisted that they get on the school from the home of a friend, rather than their house. Anything she could do to keep them safe, Linda did, because Richard had driven her to it. She remained in McCordsville for six months and her fears of what Richard must’ve done just continued.
A Phone Call From Florida
Linda’s fears didn’t ease even after the six months, and the family seemed like they would have to live a life of worry for years. The police continued to suspect Linda as well, and they were watching her. Would Linda and her sons ever feel free to stop worrying about what was to come next?
The toil was almost too great, but Linda kept strong by relying on her parents and trying to make a good life for her sons. She didn’t know what was to come. Richard disappeared in 1993, but in 2016, long after her sons had become young men, the case was about to be broken wide open with a phone call from, of all places, Florida. Linda couldn’t believe what she heard from the caller either.
Richard's New Life
The person on the other line was Anthony Cardillo from the Pasco County Florida Sheriff’s Department and he asked her if she knew Richard Hoagland. Linda, of course, was shocked to hear his name again, especially after he disappeared in 1993. She learned that not only was Richard alive and well, he had relocated to sunny Florida, settling in West Palm Beach. Richard had left his family behind him, and even found a new wife.
The former family man who left his children with nothing even had a child with his new wife. Cardillo informed Linda that Richard Hoagland had been arrested for a crime. That crime would be the shock of several people’s lives, and there was no way that Linda could’ve seen this coming either.
Terry Symansky
Richard taken on a new life and a new identity. His new wife and her family thought he was a man named Terry Symansky. There was just one problem: Terry was dead. Richard had stolen the identity of a dead man after finding a death certificate in a rented home. The certificate said that Terry died in 1991, so Richard thought it was the perfect thing to start his new life.
After walking out on his family, he became Terry completely, taking on the identity for a new job, a house and even a relationship. It seemed that his new life in Florida was comfortable and enjoyable, but back in Indiana, Linda’s life was anything but. No one who met “Terry” knew the truth.
Richard's Alias
So what happened with the real Terry? Richard had rented an apartment from Terry’s father, Edward, and Edward was still grieving his son. The apartment was located in Edward’s home, and Edward would tell Richard about his son. Richard used this information to take on the new life, even finding Terry’s birth certificate to make sure that his alias was air-tight.
Edward didn’t suspect anything, and was just trying to process his loss, while Richard was engaging in even more deceit than he did in Indiana. Poor Edward would be the next victim after Linda, and even though Richard didn’t physically harm him, the damage was still severe because of his loss. The real Terry’s sister would later say “My dad was grieving and pouring his heart out. My dad was the victim.”
Finding Richard Hoagland
How did everything begin to unravel for Richard, who now lived as Terry? The answer an unlikely place: the Internet. The real Terry’s nephew was doing some genealogy research on Ancestry.com, and was entering information into the website to make a family tree. When he was researching his uncle, who he was told was deceased, he noticed something off about the activities of his relative.
Terry had apparently been remarried, and had obtained a pilot’s license. None of this made any sense to the nephew, and he wanted to dig into it further. His next move was to call the police and everything was set into motion to uncover how Richard became Terry.
Richard Is Arrested
After the authorities became involved, that was it. Richard was arrested in July 2016, right around the time of Douglas’ birthday. The police put him in the Pasco County Jail with a $25,000 bond. Richard was being forced to face the music and account for all he had done to people who he supposedly was close with - both wives, his children and Edward.
Linda and her family hoped that Richard would be charged in Indiana, but unfortunately, the affidavit for the original case was lost. However, Linda was at last cleared of any wrongdoing in Richard’s disappearance and truth had been brought to light. Linda had plenty of questions for years, and now she’d maybe finally get her answers. It wouldn’t undo the years of damage, but it was something.
No Answers, Only Questions
Richard wouldn’t be charged with the forged loan document, nor the stolen credit card charges as it had fallen past the Indiana statute of limitations. At least Linda was able to see Richard charged with the crime of stealing the identity of a deceased person. His crime had left two families in disbelief, outrage and despair.
The families wouldn’t meet but they knew what each other had gone through, and Linda said “My heart goes out to them. We know what they are going through. We do express our sympathy and empathy to them. I’m sorry.” Because Linda was left to provide for her boys, her attorney, Tom Markle, had decided to file a request for Richard to pay more than $1 million in child support arrears.
Moving On After Richard's Lies
Two years after his disappearance, he met and married a woman named Mary Hossler Hickman, and the couple had a son. Richard and his new family lived in a town called Zephyrhills. Mary and their son had no idea that Richard was living a lie. Mary has been understandably silent about the whole situation but later, she did uncover a briefcase owned by Richard.
Inside were documents identifying him as Richard Hoagland, a deed to a Louisiana home, and a storage unit key. According to detectives, Richard’s youngest son, the one he had with Mary, “was feeling emotions between anger and sadness and the wonder of why.” As for Douglas and Matthew, they each dealt with Richard’s disappearance in their own way. Douglas fell into abusing drugs, while Matthew tried to be strong for his mother.
The Families He Hurt
According to a letter he wrote from prison, Doug turned to drugs out of anger. Matthew now has his own family, and says he could never imagine doing what Richard did. As a way to remind him to remember what his father did, Matthew shared that he wears his father’s ring. It seems that his past has finally caught up with him, but Richard doesn’t want to talk about it.
No one knows why he forged Linda’s names and stole the money, nor will he explain why he left. At least now Linda knows where he is, and that he can’t hurt her again. She managed to make it through but she can never have back the life he stole.