William Hokanson Sr., known as Hokey, 44, and his 19-year-old son William Jr. disappeared from their fishing boat Sol-e-Mar on March 25, 1990, after leaving Fairhaven, Massachusetts, to fish near Martha’s Vineyard. A four-second distress call from William Jr. was received by the U.S. Coast Guard, then a hoax call followed that diverted and delayed search resources. The Sol-e-Mar was reported missing on March 29 and later recovered sunk, with no sign of the two men aboard. The Coast Guard searched for three days and then called off the effort.

Some human remains were dredged from the area in 1996 but could not be matched to the Hokansons by dental records. In 2014 the family registered them in NamUs to allow DNA comparison, but no bodies have been identified and the disappearance remains unsolved. The incident led to the Studds Act, increasing penalties for hoax distress calls.

If anyone was on the water off Martha’s Vineyard in late March 1990 or has other information about the Sol-e-Mar or the Hokansons, please come forward.