RI RI - William Hokanson, 44, & William Hokanson Jr, 19, 25 Mar 1990 - Lost at sea

By Capt. W. Russell Webster
Posted Nov. 23, 2014 @ 2:01 am
It was a necessary message to receive, but dreadful all the same.
In early August 2014, the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s office reached out to Ellen (Hokanson) Ouellette through Facebook to ask for family DNA that could help identify her missing son, Billy. It was the third time that the ME’s office had contacted Ouellette to assist with an identification of human remains since her son, Billy, 19, and ex-husband “Hokey” Hokanson, 44, Billy’s father, had gone missing in a terrible sea tragedy off Martha’s Vineyard March 25, 1990.
According to Ouellette, “Every morning for the past 24 years I never knew if it would be the day I got another call saying they had found my son's remains … and possibly another disappointment. When I didn't get a call, all I would say was maybe ‘tomorrow.'" When asked about the latest inquiry from the ME’s office, Ouellette remarked, "I can't do this again, what am I going to do, it was just as hard to absorb (this time) as it was the other two times. Will he finally be coming home?"

Click to expand...

Lost in the Waves: The search for missing mariners

It was a necessary message to receive, but dreadful all the same. In early August 2014, the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s office reached out to Ellen (Hokanson) Ouellette through Facebook to ask …

www.southcoasttoday.com

DNA may hold key to identify those 'lost at sea'

In 1990, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued 4,407 people nationwide. On March 25, 1990, however, William Hokanson Sr. and his 19-year-old son William Hokanson Jr. went down off Martha’s Vineyard with the e…

www.capecodtimes.com

Circumstances of Disappearance​