Hoskie was last seen at the beach behind Days Inn in Pensacola Beach, Florida at 12:30 a.m. on April 12, 2008. He and his friends had arrived in Pensacola Beach at 6:00 p.m. the previous day. They checked into the hotel and drank beer all evening. Late that evening, Hoskie and his friends decided to go swimming. One of his friends said he left after an hour and last saw Hoskie sitting in a lounge chair on the beach. His friend was extremely intoxicated and Hoskie was also drunk, but less so. His friend returned two hours later and found Hoskie's wallet and most of his clothes on the beach, but no sign of Hoskie himself. He has never been heard from again. He wasn't reported missing until 3:30 p.m. on April 13. An extensive search of the ocean turned up no sign of him.

Hoskie was a student at Pensacola's Naval Air Technical Training Center at the time of his disappearance. He'd been there since January and was in training to become an aviation support equipment technician. He is originally from Fort Defiance, Arizona and graduated from Window Rock High School, a Navajo school, in 2004. Hoskie is presumed to have drowned, but his body has never been recovered.