Daniel V. Ramirez, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS — Bonneville County Commissioners and the Mayor of Idaho Falls, through a joint proclamation Tuesday afternoon, have marked Sept. 14 as Missing Persons Day in honor of Amber Hoopes.

It’s been almost 24 years since Hoopes was abducted from her grandparents’ home near Lincoln Road on Sept. 14, 2001.

A Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office news release in 2024 stated that a suspect, who was involved in another kidnapping case, was followed in June 2002.

The pursuit resulted in sheriff’s deputies chasing the suspect into Madison County into the Big Hole Mountains, where a shooting occurred.

A K9 was killed and a deputy was injured, but the suspect was struck during the shooting and ended up taking his own life.

Ahead of the signing of the proclamation, Sgt. Bryan Lovell, public information officer for the sheriff’s office, said every year, the department gets together to remember Hoopes, as she is still missing.

Audra Burgener, aunt of Hoopes, was unable to attend, but Lovell said she appreciates the proclamation and has been a driving force every year to host an event like this.

Lovell said this proclamation also acknowledges the other missing cases throughout Idaho, as well as those locally.

According to Idaho’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse, there are 184 open missing person cases and 10 open cases of unidentified people.

“Our hope is not just remembering Amber and those that are missing and their families, but our hope is to raise some awareness, and you never know what kind of information or tips will come from this that might help further one of these investigations,” Lovell said.

Commissioner Jon Walker said that during his time as coroner, which has spanned almost 12 years, he has worked on attempting to identify cold cases that date back to the 1800s.

“The story never ends, and the reason it never ends is because there are always professionals throughout there looking for evidence and looking for solutions,” Walker said.

Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper asked Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson about the 24-hour rule, which he said is no longer the case.

“You’ve got about 45 minutes to an hour, if someone is truly abducted, to try to do what we would call live recovery of that individual,” Johnson said.

He said that, especially with children, there is an immediate need to start looking for them.

However, more intricacies make cases with adults tricky to navigate. He said adults have the right not to tell people where they are, and oftentimes, they find an individual who was reported missing and is told they are not.

Overall, Walker said an important aspect to preventing these kinds of cases is to remember that if you see something, say something and don’t wait.

“There is no need to ever wait to report it, because the quicker we can get working on it, the better,” Johnson said.

The Sheriff’s Office asks community members who have information regarding Amber Hoopes or other missing person to contact their local law enforcement agency or submit a tip through East Idaho Crime Stoppers at www.IFcrime.org, where information can be shared anonymously.

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