Key facts
- Name: Amber Hoopes
- Born: December 27, 1980
- Age at disappearance: 20
- Last seen: Night of September 13–14, 2001 (discovered missing ~1:00 a.m.)
- Location: Grandparents’ home near Lincoln Road, Idaho Falls (Bonneville County), Idaho
- Height / build: 20-year-old woman
- Status: Still missing — Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, open investigation
- Investigating agency: Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office
The phone call and the unlocked door
In the night hours of September 14, 2001 — three days after the September 11 attacks, when the whole country was holding its breath — 20-year-old Amber Hoopes was at her grandparents’ home near Lincoln Road in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She talked on the phone with her sister until about 10:00 p.m. Her grandparents went to bed at 10:30.
At about 1:00 a.m., Amber’s grandmother woke and found her gone. The back door was unlocked. A pickup truck from the family’s shop had been stolen — it was later found abandoned nearby.
She was never seen again.
Amber would be about 45 years old today (she would turn 46 in December 2026). She has been missing for 25 years.
The day that bears her name
Amber Hoopes’s disappearance changed Idaho. In 2006, the governor proclaimed Idaho Missing Persons Day — observed every September 14, the anniversary of the night Amber was taken. (The Charley Project dates the Idaho Falls city proclamation to 2007.) In September 2026, on the 25th anniversary, the Idaho State Police marked the day with a coffee-sleeve campaign featuring 19 of the state’s missing-person cases — Amber’s face among them, a quarter-century on.
Her aunt, Audra Burgener, has driven the annual remembrances — the events, the proclamations, the refusal to let the date pass quietly. In 2024, Bonneville County issued a proclamation honoring Amber, and the sheriff’s office released new details about the investigation: in June 2002, about nine months after Amber vanished, a suspect in another kidnapping — Keith Glenn “Mark” Hescock — was followed by law enforcement — a chase that ran into Madison County and the Big Hole Mountains, ending in a shooting in which a K9 was killed, a deputy was injured, and the suspect killed himself. The release connected that 2002 case to the ongoing questions around Amber’s disappearance without closing them.
Idaho carries hundreds of open missing-persons cases. Amber’s is the one with a day named for it.
The Deck Podcast has covered her case, and September 2026 brought a new wave of 25th-anniversary coverage — a generation of Idahoans learning her name for the first time, and an older generation realizing they have been waiting half their lives for an answer.
Theories: what might have happened
Abduction and homicide. The theory investigators have worked from the start: a 20-year-old woman who was talking on the phone at 10:00 p.m. and gone by 1:00 a.m. — back door unlocked, the family truck stolen and abandoned — does not vanish voluntarily. The 2002 kidnapping suspect — pursued, cornered, dead by his own hand — remains the darkest thread in the file, but the sheriff’s office has not announced that it resolved Amber’s case.
She left voluntarily. There is nothing in the record to support this: no history of running, no contact in 25 years, and the circumstances — gone by 1:00 a.m. with the back door unlocked and the family truck stolen, never heard from again — read as an interruption, not a departure.
Have information?
Contact the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 529-1200. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- circa 1980 — Amber Shawnell Hoopes is born (December 27, 1980).
- September 13–14, 2001 — Amber talks to her sister by phone until ~10:00 p.m. at her grandparents’ home near Lincoln Road, Idaho Falls; grandparents go to bed at 10:30. Around 1:00 a.m. her grandmother finds her gone — back door unlocked. A pickup truck from the family shop is found stolen, then abandoned nearby. She is never seen again.
- June 2002 — A suspect in another kidnapping is followed; chase into Madison County/Big Hole Mountains ends in a shooting — K9 killed, deputy injured, suspect dead by suicide.
- 2006 — Idaho establishes Missing Persons Day, observed every September 14 in Amber’s honor.
- 2024 — Bonneville County proclamation; sheriff’s office releases details on the 2002 suspect connection.
- September 2026 — 25th anniversary; Idaho State Police Missing Persons Day coffee-sleeve campaign features 19 cases including Amber’s.
- Today — Still missing. Case open with Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.
FAQ
Is Amber Hoopes still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Amber Hoopes has been missing for 25 years. Her case remains open with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.
Was Amber Hoopes ever found?
No. Amber has never been found, alive or deceased.
What is Idaho Missing Persons Day?
A statewide observance held every September 14 — the anniversary of Amber’s abduction — established in 2006 in her honor. The 2026 observance featured a coffee-sleeve campaign highlighting 19 of Idaho’s missing-person cases.
How old would Amber Hoopes be today?
Amber was 20 when she vanished in September 2001 (born December 27, 1980). She would be about 45 years old today, turning 46 in December 2026.
Who is Audra Burgener?
Amber’s aunt, who has led the family’s advocacy for 25 years — organizing the annual Missing Persons Day events and keeping Amber’s case in the public eye.
What happened with the 2002 suspect?
In June 2002, law enforcement followed Keith Glenn “Mark” Hescock, a suspect in another kidnapping; the pursuit ended in Madison County’s Big Hole Mountains in a shooting that killed a K9, injured a deputy, and ended with the suspect’s suicide. The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office connected the case to ongoing questions in Amber’s investigation, but it did not resolve her disappearance.
How can I help?
Share this case file. If you have any information, contact the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 529-1200.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office (208-529-1200); bonnevillecountyidaho.gov, Amber Hoopes proclamation; Idaho State Police, Missing Persons Day 25th anniversary / coffee-sleeve campaign (isp.idaho.gov, Sept 11, 2026).
- News: East Idaho News coverage (2001–2026); Post Register (Idaho Falls) anniversary coverage.
- Reference: The Charley Project; NamUs.
- Media: The Deck Podcast episode on Amber Hoopes.
Corrections (October 2026 fact-check): Rewrote the disappearance timeline per the Charley Project’s case record. The file previously said Amber was last seen walking along the sidewalk at ~2:00 a.m. — the sourced record instead shows her on the phone with her sister until 10:00 p.m., grandparents in bed at 10:30, grandmother discovering her gone ~1:00 a.m. with the back door unlocked and the family shop’s pickup truck stolen (later abandoned nearby). DOB corrected from “circa 1981” to December 27, 1980. Removed the unverified “184 open missing-persons cases (2025 figure)” claim. Noted the 2006 gubernatorial proclamation vs. Charley Project’s 2007 Idaho Falls proclamation dating for Idaho Missing Persons Day.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.