Human remains discovered in Maine identified as missing mother of two last seen walking barefoot

Human remains discovered in Maine have been identified as a missing mother of two, who had last been spotted walking barefoot.

The remains of Tomis Hoyt, 36, were found late last month in Blaine, but police announced on Wednesday that they had now been formally identified.

While her cause of death remains unclear pending an ongoing investigation, Hoyt had last been seen walking down a Maine roadway in July. 

She was last seen by her family on July 13, barefoot on Robinson Road in Mars Hill and believed to have been without any money, according to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office. 

Surveillance footage caught Hoyt walking barefoot down the road wearing an orange-pink colored tank top, ripped jeans and no shoes, WAGM reported.   

Around a week after her disappearance, her family told the outlet that she had been sober for nearly a decade but had struggled with her mental health and addiction. 

They made desperate pleas to the public for anyone housing Hoyt and begged for her safe return home. 

Hoyt’s last post on July 13 shared a petition that advocated for the reform of Maine’s State Child Protective Services for ‘unjust child removals and violations of parental rights.

The remains of Tomis Hoyt, 36, were announced to have been identified on Wednesday by Maine State Police after their discovery late last month in Blaine

Hoyt was last seen by her family on July 13, barefoot on Robinson Road in Mars Hill and believed to have been without any money

Her sister, Rici Hoyt, said on Facebook: ‘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.

‘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.

‘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.’

She later posted that it had been ‘confirmed — the body found in Blaine is my sister, Tomis.’

Around a week after her disappearance, her family told the outlet that she had been sober for nearly a decade but had struggled with her mental health and addiction

Hoyt’s sister, Rici, said she had called police to warn of her sister’s need for help and said ‘[Hoyt’s] spirit, her laugh, her heart, even her stubbornness — they’ll live on in every one of us who loved her’

‘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.’

Rici confirmed the ongoing investigation into the cause of her sister’s death and added her family are ‘waiting for answers’ as they prepare funeral arrangements. 

‘Tomi will never be forgotten. 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.’