After 30 years, missing Indiana woman’s case heats up
By Erica Morse
For Victims News Online
Published 1:35 pm., April 25, 2023
(MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA) — Ardora Hoga went for a motorcycle ride with her boyfriend on August 16th, 1993.
She never returned.
It was late in the afternoon, around 3 or 4pm, when Ardora, known by her loved ones as ‘Doddy’, got a visit from her then-boyfriend, Wendell ‘Wayne’ Lampkin. Lampkin offered to take her for a motorcycle ride.
According to Doddy’s brother, Scott Pender, his sister didn’t want to go with Lampkin that day; Doddy was reportedly nervous about a conversation she recently had with police about her boyfriend’s possible involvement in a crime.
“She didn’t want to go with him, Scott told Victims News Online. “She was worried he knew she talked about that gun”.
Scott was referring to a 1993 police interrogation Doddy underwent about a gun found in her possession. Loved ones tell VNO Doddy identified her boyfriend, Wendell ‘Wayne’ Lampkin, as the owner of that weapon.
Although she was nervous on August 16, 1993, Doddy did leave that day with Lampkin, and she hasn’t been seen – or heard from – since.
When Doddy didn’t come home, her mother Ruth Banks reported her missing. However, the circumstances of her disappearance were written down incorrectly, and her boyfriend’s name was misspelled. Police noted her boyfriend as Wayne Lampton, not Wendell ‘Wayne’ Lampkin.
In the 30 years since Doddy Hogan’s disappearance, that information was never corrected and re-released to the public.
Last week, members of Doddy’s family confirmed Lampkin’s identity to our team through pictures and public records. Messages left for Lampkin and his family regarding Doddy’s disappearance have gone unreturned.
At the time of her disappearance, Doddy Hogan was 21 years old, with black hair and brown eyes. She was 5’7”, weighing 120 pounds. Doddy has several tattoos, including one on her lower right calf with the word, “Scusch”. She was last seen wearing a t-shirt and shorts, colors unknown. It is believed she had a small handbag in her possession when she disappeared.
Search efforts for Doddy Hogan’s remains are now underway in Berrien County, Michigan. Until Doddy is recovered, hunters and fisherman, hikers and nature enthusiasts are asked to keep an eye out for old clothing and/or a small handbag in LaPorte County, Indiana, and southwestern Michigan.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Ardora ‘Doddy’ Hogan may call the Michigan City Police Department at (219) 874-3221 or Victims News Online at (432) 741-1329. Tips may also be emailed to: info@victimsnewsonline.com.
