The image on the right is a picture of Gus with his Motorcycle
The image on the right is a picture of Gus with his Motorcycle
Name: Gus Henry Hoffman
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: July 04, 1978
Location Last Seen: San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
Date of Birth: January 4, 1958
Age: 20 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Augustine Hoffman, Gussie
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Not Available
Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Gus was not a biker, but one of his hobbies was to restore vintage motorcycles. In October of 1977, Gus bought a 1966 Harley Davidson that he spent eight months restoring to mint condition. He planned to sell it when finished.
On July 4, 1978 he finished the work on the bike, showed it off to his brother, and took the bike for a ride. He never made it back home. When Gus didn't return, his mother reported him as missing to the police. Since the police couldn't do anything for 48 hours, his mother started canvass the neighborhood. A witness reported seeing Gus with two other men on motorbikes. The men were later identified as bikers from a motorcycle gang. The bikers had argued with Gus, and threatened him with chains, and when he left on his bike, they had followed him.
Gus' mother worked for many years to try to find out what happened to her son. She went undercover to biker hangouts and hired a private investigator. An informant told her Gus had been killed, and that he was tortured for days. The informant feared for her life, and would not talk to the police. After one of the bikers was killed, people who had been too afraid to talk to the police before, started to cooperate. Investigators found out that Gus had been forced to go to the residence of the leader of the motorcycle gang. He had been forced to enter the garage, where acts of violence toward him took place. This resulted in his death, and the disappearance of his motorcycle.
More than ten years after Gus' disappearance, three suspects were charged with Gus' homicide and sentenced to life in prison. No trace of Gus Hoffman was ever found.
Agency Name: San Jose Police Department
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: (408) 277-4786
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 78-187-9614
NamUs Case Number: 23522
NCIC Case Number: M-374133132
Added: 3/11/07; Last Updated: 11-13-2021 - By: Htmlcnvtr
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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