Search widens for missing Newtown man Robert Hoagland: Last seen mowing the lawn on July 29

Robert Hoagland, 50, of Newtown, Conn., has been missing since July 29, 2013 Robert Hoagland, 50, of Newtown, Conn., has been missing since July 29, 2013 Photo: Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Search widens for missing Newtown man 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

NEWTOWN -- Robert Hoagland's Labor Day tradition was cooking a special-recipe clam chowder for family and friends.

On Monday, Lori Hoagland compiled the ingredients in her husband's place.

"It wasn't as good as his ... but I made it in his honor," said Lori Hoagland, a culinary teacher at Newtown High School for the last three years.

Robert "Hoagy'' Hoagland vanished from the family's Glen Road home 38 days ago. He was last seen mowing the lawn.

His wife and three children, and a large network of family friends and supporters, are anxious and mystified by the disappearance of the 50-year-old.

Despite some family difficulties, he was not the kind of man to simply walk away, according to family and friends.

"He's a kind man, a thoughtful man, a loving man," said Lori Hoagland. "It just makes no sense."

At the Labor Day parade Monday, friends circulated fliers. A Facebook page, "HelpUs Find Hoagy," was started.

More Information Tips sought

Anyone with information about Robert "Hoagy'' Hoagland, 50, is asked to contact the Newtown Police Department at 203-426-5841.

The National Park Service was notified because the Hoaglands had talked of hiking some of the Appalachian Trail this summer with their eldest son, Max, 23.

Max was the last person to see his father at the family home.

Lori Hoagland is all but certain her husband would not willingly walk away from his family and job responsibilities.

"In my mind, I don't believe he just left ... Wouldn't he have surfaced by now?"

On Tuesday, Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe said the investigation into Hoagland's case remains "open and active,'' but there is nothing new to report.

"We're doing all the things we should be doing. It's time consuming and labor intensive, but we're doing yeoman's work in trying to find him," Kehoe said.

Kehoe said investigators have found no indication that Hoagland has used a credit card or cellphone since he was last seen on July 28.

That morning, he went to the Bagel Delight shop, then stopped at the Mobil gas station at 6:45 a.m. to buy a half-tank of gas.

Station surveillance camera footage shows him in a white T-shirt, khaki shorts and his standard loafers. At the counter, he paid with a credit card.

At the time, Lori Hoagland was traveling home from a 17-day vacation in Turkey. She discovered her husband missing after he failed to pick her up at LaGuardia Airport the morning of July 29.

Hoagland ate breakfast with Max the previous day, answered some text messages, played three games of online Scrabble and mowed the lawn.

A neighbor saw him in the yard between 10 and 11 a.m. and heard Max tell his father he was leaving for a few hours, Lori Hoagland said.

The mower was stowed in its usual spot in the basement, and his dirty clothes were found in the laundry. His loafers were in the living room.

Hoagland's cellphone, passport and blood pressure medication were found in his office.

A couple of weeks later, Hoagland's wallet and the key to the family's Mini Cooper were found hidden in the bedroom.

A cash withdrawal of $600 was made from the south Newtown branch of Union Savings Bank the Thursday before his disappearance. That money has not been found, Lori Hoagland said.

As time stretches, Lori Hoagland said, she becomes more "frantic." She is comforted by the police's vigilance and support from her community, including students, who stand with her as she awaits word.

"We just need to know," she said. "We're hoping for the best, but we want some resolution and closure."

Asked if her husband might have had a motive to disappear, Lori Hoagland said she cannot comprehend such a possibility.

The couple were struggling with some issues related to their son, who had been in trouble with the law.

"It was definitely a challenging situation, but not one so desperate that he'd just leave," Lori Hoagland said, adding she and her husband were "completely in tandem'' about how to help their son.

Max Hoagland was arrested on a trespass charge in Bridgeport the evening after his father disappeared. Max told police he was looking to buy drugs.