A heartbreaking new development has emerged in the search for a missing mom who was last seen walking barefoot in a video.
Authorities revealed last week that remains found in late October in the town of Blaine belonged to 36-year-old Tomis Hoyt, who vanished in July after being seen walking barefoot along a quiet road.
The confirmation came from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta, though her cause of death remains undetermined as investigations continue.
Human remains discovered in Maine have been identified as those of Tomis Hoyt. Credit: Aroostook County Sheriff's Office
Hoyt, of Presque Isle, was last seen on July 13, barefoot and without any money, according to the Aroostook County Sheriff's Office.
Surveillance footage captured her walking along Robinson Road in Mars Hill wearing a ripped pair of jeans, an orange-pink tank top, and no shoes.
Family Pleaded For Tomi's Return
Shortly after her disappearance, Hoyt’s family made desperate pleas for her safe return.
Her aunt, Selena Hoyt Belser, told WAGM: “We’re her family, and we are the kind of help that she needs right now, and we need to get her back, and we need to get her right," per PEOPLE.
Selena noted that it was completely out of character for her niece to vanish without any contact, adding that the two were especially close. “For the love of God, come home,” she pleaded. “We want you to come home, Tomi.”
At the time, Aroostook County Sheriff Peter Johnson acknowledged the family's distress. “Right now, the family is very concerned about her whereabouts. We’re trying to do the best that we can as far as being able to keep them up-to-date, and hopefully be able to provide them with some information.”
Hoyt’s family had shared that she had been sober for nearly ten years, but continued to struggle with her mental health and addiction.
Her last social media post on the day she vanished included a petition calling for reform of Maine's Child Protective Services system.
Tomis Hoyt was last seen walking along Robinson Road in Blaine on July 13. Credit: Google Maps
Loved Ones Claim The System Failed Her
Following the identification of Hoyt’s remains, her sister Rici Hoyt posted an emotional statement on Facebook, accusing local authorities of failing to protect Tomis when she needed help most.
“I tried. I screamed. I begged for help. I called every number I could find - pretrial, the sheriff’s office, Caribou PD — warning them that my sister needed medical help and protection,” she wrote, cited by Daily Mail.
"I told them over and over that if something happened to her, it would be on them. They promised me she would be safe, that everything was set up for her to get help. Then they stopped returning my calls."
"If law enforcement had acted when I had eyes on her, when she was wandering barefoot and begging for help - if the system hadn’t failed her again and again - we might not be here today."
She added: "I knew my sister. I knew what she needed. And I knew this county, this system, would not protect her. The people who were supposed to help, didn’t. And now we’re left waiting for confirmation of what I’ve feared all along."
Rici took to the social media platform again on November 4 after confirmation that the remains were those of Tomis.
She wrote: “There are no words big enough for this kind of pain. My heart is shattered. For months, I’ve held on to hope, prayed for a different ending - but today, that hope is gone, and all that remains is grief.”
“Tomi will never be forgotten,” Rici added. “Her spirit, her laugh, her heart, even her stubbornness - they’ll live on in every one of us who loved her. Rest in peace, my beautiful sister. You are loved beyond measure, and missed beyond words.”
Our thoughts are with Tomi's loved ones at this time.