Jonathan Hoang Spotted on Camera? We Have 4 Days to Confirm and Save Him | Forensic Files

Hi, crime junkies. I wanted to bring you something a little different while you wait for next week's episode. I'm
calling it a briefing. This is a case that's pretty new, and the hope is that we can get this story far and wide while
it's still fresh, and maybe one of you will be able to solve it, and we can keep it from becoming a cold case that
gets featured in full on our show. So, listen closely. I'm briefing you today on the missing
person case of 21-year-old Jonathan Wong out of Arlington, Washington. Sometime before dawn, March 31st, 2025,
unbeknownst to his family, Jonathan walked out of their home with only the clothes on his back, his iPad, and
headphones. And he hasn't been seen since, which is extra concerning for his parents because though Jonathan is 21,
he has autism. and psychological evaluations say that he's cognitively at the level of maybe an eight or
nineyear-old and not able to independently care for himself long term because Jonathan lived a very structured
and ritualistic life. What authorities and the Wongs agree on and there isn't much is that Jonathan wasn't forcibly
removed from his home but what drove him to walk out the door that night they have separate theories on. Police are
firm in their belief that no third party is connected in any way to Jonathan's disappearance and he was not a victim of
foul play. His parents, however, believe someone with influence over Jonathan lured him out of the house. And they
point to a couple of pretty compelling pieces of evidence as proof. One, heightened anxiety in the time before
his disappearance. Two, a scent trail that stops in a culde-sac by their house. Three, a recent change in
security settings on his devices that would have allowed him to talk to a stranger or someone outside of his
family. Four, there is a single point of activity on Jonathan's iPad days after he disappeared. And five, there is
surveillance footage from almost 3 months after Jonathan disappeared that his family is sure shows Jonathan. So,
let's break it down. around the heightened anxiety. In the two weeks before Jonathan disappeared, he seemed
more anxious than normal. Now, his parents attribute this to the fact that they had been trying to nudge him toward
more independence. He recently started a job training at a nearby Goodwill store
through his school, and his family says that he didn't want to go. He actually called out sick for two of the four
scheduled sessions. And the night that he disappeared, he told his dad that he wasn't feeling well and he said he
didn't want to go to school the next day. Point two, the scent trail. So when authorities did an initial search of the
area for Jonathan, his family says that dogs picked up his scent on pavement at the end of a culde-sac down the hill
from the Wong's house. But that's where the scent stopped. And that makes the family wonder if Jonathan could have
gotten into a car at the bottom of the culde-sac. Three is the security settings. So, a few weeks before
Jonathan disappeared, his parents removed the security restrictions on his iPad and iPhone so that he could
communicate with his job training supervisor at Goodwill. That meant instead of only being able to message
his immediate family, Jonathan could send or receive messages to anyone. I mean, they know he sent at least one
text to his supervisor at Goodwill and texted an image of his state ID to a pareducator at his school, but they
don't know if anyone could have sent other messages to him through his iPad, which they have been unable to locate.
Which brings me to point four, his iPad activity. In their own effort to find Jonathan, his dad tried using the Find
My feature to locate the iPad that his son took with him that night. The last location showed their house before he
left and presumably disconnected from their Wi-Fi. So, the family reached out to Apple. Jonathan's family gave them
the model, the serial number, and Apple support confirmed to them that the iPad connected to Wi-Fi, and someone
navigated to the Apple App Store on April 2nd. That is 3 days after Jonathan went missing. Where it pinged from, we
don't know. The family said that Apple wouldn't give them that location without a warrant from law enforcement. And then
there's point five, the surveillance footage. On June 23rd, someone who looks a heck of a lot like Jonathan was
captured on two separate security cameras in Kirkland. Now, this is over 40 miles away from Arlington, where his
family home is. But Jonathan's family is convinced that the man on the camera is
their son. and they're really convinced that he was trying to get home for a few
reasons. First, the man was walking in the specific way that Jonathan walked, doing the same vocal stems and hand
motions that Jonathan does. He's wearing clothes that match items Jonathan owned
and that his family says they can't account for. The second is one of the cameras he was captured on was from a
house ring camera. That house was on 114th Lane. Jonathan's home is on 114th Drive. And if that's not convincing
enough, Jonathan's dad says that the Ring camera house has two columns with a faux rock facade just like Jonathan's
family's home. Now, the Snowomish County Sheriff's Office does not agree with the
family. They say there's no evidence of a crime and they conducted extensive searches of a wide area in his
neighborhood beginning the morning he was reported missing and they found nothing. And even though the dogs
stopped at the culdesac, they point out that dogs aren't perfect and there's not
proof that Jonathan got into a vehicle of any kind. And unfortunately, there was no sign of Jonathan on any of the
neighborhood security cameras during that time. The sheriff's office says they've been in contact with Apple,
Microsoft, and Verizon. All companies have cooperated with them, and they have no evidence that Jonathan's iPad
connected to the App Store or had any activity at any time after he went missing. Now, we showed them the
messages his family exchanged with Apple support, and they just reiterated their
position. They have no evidence that Jonathan's iPad connected to the App Store or had any activity. And they say
that because there's no evidence of foul play, they don't have a basis for a warrant to serve on Apple to get
location data. They also don't believe that the surveillance footage in Kirkland is Jonathan. But they also have
never identified the man in the video. Not being on the same page as law enforcement has made the Wongs feel like
they're alone in this. When Jonathan went missing, his parents jumped through a bunch of hoops to get emergency
guardianship over him so that they could advocate for him legally and also just so they could access information about
him. They've already had it extended twice, but their attorney says a third extension is extremely unlikely, which
means Jonathan's family will lose guardianship of him on Tuesday, August 19th. That's in 6 days. So, they're
hoping this video might reach someone who knows something before then. Do you know where Jonathan is? Do you know who
is seen in that video footage that was filmed in Kirkland, Washington on June 23rd between approximately 10:30 and
11:04 p.m.? Can you help in any way find the iPad that he took with him? According to find Jonathan Wong.com,
here are the steps you can follow if you see him. Stay with him or in sight of him. Do not leave. Ask if he's Jonathan.
Immediately call the 911 emergency line because time is of the essence. After 911, contact Crimestoppers. Take a photo
or video as this will be the fastest way for the family and law enforcement to confirm whether or not the individual is
Jonathan. There is a $100,000 reward for information leading to his location being offered through Crimestoppers. You
can also reach out to the Snomish County Sheriff's Office directly at 4253883393.
And if you want to reach us, you can email tips@auchuk.com. Thank you for hanging around for this
briefing. Now go find Jonathan.

8/18/25 Clarification: The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office says that while they don't have evidence of foul play in Jonathan's disappearance, they have not ruled out the possibility of it.

URGENT: Jonathan Hoang, a 21-year-old man with autism, has been missing from Arlington, Washington, for 133 days since March 31, 2025. Time is critical—his family’s emergency guardianship expires on August 19, leaving them unable to advocate for him legally. A possible sighting on a Ring camera, 40 miles from home, shows someone resembling Jonathan, but law enforcement isn’t convinced. With only 5 days left, we need your help to share this video, review the footage, and report any tips to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. Let’s bring Jonathan home!

Resources: findjonathanhoang.com Tips@AudioChuck.com

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Brief Summary

The episode covers the disappearance of Jonathan Wong and the family's search for him.

Key points

The Disappearance of Jonathan Wong. 21-year-old Jonathan Wong walked out of his home and hasn't been seen since. His family believes he may have been lured away.
Evidence of Disappearance. Jonathan's family presents compelling evidence suggesting he may have been influenced to leave.
Urgent Call for Help. The Wong family is desperate for information as they face losing guardianship of Jonathan soon.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Do you know where Jonathan is?

Urgent plea for information about Jonathan's whereabouts.

7:15WatchAug 13, 2025

Tension

70/ 100High tension

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