JACKSONVILLE, Texas — Officials have identified remains found in August as those of a missing Jacksonville man who was last seen in November 2022.
Jacksonville Police Chief Joe Williams said Friday a person reported finding human bones along Burma Road on Aug. 19, 2023. Officers then collected all they could and the remains were sent off to a forensic anthropologist. The results returned in February identified the remains as Ryan Donald Hoskins, 38.
"The day after Thanksgiving, we were trying to get ahold of him and we couldn’t, which is very unusual. He keeps in touch with all of us," Ryan's sister Leah Hoskins said.
Ryan Hoskins was last seen leaving a residence on Fulton St. in Jacksonville on the morning of Nov. 25, 2022, after getting into a fight with his girlfriend. He left in a white 2000-ish Chevy Suburban, according to Cherokee County Crime Stoppers. The vehicle was found abandoned on CR 4405.
Police notified the Hoskins family following the identification, Williams said.
"Just absolutely heartbroken, then thankful that he was found. We didn’t have to wonder where he was anymore. Really just grieving the loss of him, we’ve been doing that since November," Leah said.
Police said the cause of the death is unknown and the investigation is still ongoing.
"He was a sensitive soul. He loved deeply, he was kind, he was nice. I have literally witnessed him take his jacket off and give it to a homeless person," Leah said. "We love and miss him so much and we know that we will see him again some day."
