His family says he was dropped off to fly home to France but never boarded.
CHICAGO, IL — Chicago police are searching for a 23-year-old man who disappeared after being dropped off at O’Hare International Airport for a flight to France, with relatives saying he never checked in or boarded and has not been heard from since.
The missing-person case has prompted detectives to review airport surveillance and track down any sign of where he went after arriving at one of the nation’s busiest transportation hubs. Police have said the man may need medical attention, and relatives say they are worried because his phone has been off since the night he was last seen and he has limited money.
Police identified the missing man as Elijah Joseph Hoard. He was last seen Fri., Feb. 27, at O’Hare, authorities said, after spending about 10 days in Chicago visiting his father, Antwon Hoard. Antwon Hoard told local media he drove his son to the airport as Elijah prepared to return to France, where Elijah lives. A photo taken at the airport with his father is the last confirmed image of him, his family said.
According to his father, the plan was routine: arrive at the terminal, check in, pass through security and head to the gate for the international flight. But Antwon Hoard said his son never checked in for the flight, and the family later learned he did not board. The father said the first part of the visit had been normal, but that Elijah’s behavior shifted in the final two days before his scheduled departure. “Everything seemed pretty normal the first eight days, but the last two days his whole mood had swung,” Antwon Hoard said, adding that his son was strongly opposed to returning home.
Police issued a missing-person bulletin Sunday, March 1, and said Hoard may be in need of medical attention. Authorities described him as about 6 feet 3 inches tall and about 220 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. Police said he was last seen wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants and cream-colored shoes. Investigators asked anyone who sees him or has information about where he went after arriving at O’Hare to contact Area One Special Victims Unit detectives at 312-747-8380.
As the search continued into Monday, detectives focused on what happened between the time Hoard was dropped off and the time his flight departed. Chicago police said they were looking into surveillance cameras around O’Hare as part of the investigation. Family members said Hoard’s phone has been off since Friday night, cutting off one of the quickest ways to trace a person’s movements. His father said Elijah had only enough money to support himself for a short period, raising concerns that he could be stranded, vulnerable, or unable to get help.
The case has drawn attention in part because of Hoard’s ties to France and the tight timeline around his disappearance. Relatives said he lives abroad, and the missed flight left the family trying to piece together whether he remained inside the airport, left the terminal area, or encountered trouble before reaching the gate. Investigators have not publicly said whether Hoard passed through a security checkpoint, spoke with airline staff, or appeared on any public transit cameras after arriving at O’Hare. Police have also not disclosed which terminal he was dropped at or which airline he was scheduled to fly.
Family members have emphasized that they want help finding Elijah, not speculation about why he missed the flight. His father said his son has a mental illness, and police said he may need medical attention, statements that can influence how investigators and the public interpret odd or abrupt behavior. Mental health crises can be hard to spot in a brief encounter, and relatives said they are concerned he may be disoriented or avoiding contact. The father said the situation is “all unsettling,” but added he was trying not to overreact while waiting for more information.
In Chicago, missing-person investigations often begin with basic steps: confirming the last verified sighting, checking hospitals and detention records, reviewing security video and canvassing areas near the last known location. O’Hare’s size can complicate that process. The airport spans multiple terminals, parking garages, transit stations and nearby roadways, and travelers move quickly between airline counters, security lanes and gates. Investigators typically rely on time-stamped video and transaction records to narrow the window of where a person was last seen and whether they left the airport property.
Additional attention came from overseas sports sites that identified Hoard as the brother of professional basketball player Jaylen Hoard, a connection relatives have also referenced in public posts asking people to share his photo. Those posts, along with local television coverage, helped spread the description of what Elijah was wearing and the date he was last seen. Still, authorities have urged that tips go directly to detectives so they can be checked and logged as part of the investigation.
By Monday, March 2, police had not announced any confirmed sightings since Feb. 27, and no public record indicated that Hoard traveled internationally on the scheduled flight. The investigation remained active, with detectives reviewing information and asking the public to report tips. The next major milestone will be any confirmed sighting, video identification, or official update from detectives as they continue to track Hoard’s movements after he arrived at O’Hare.
Author note: Last updated March 2, 2026.