Deceased/Not Found HI - Samuel Martinez, 23, from Nebraska, missed flight home, Kauai, 12 May 2021

[K9Enzo]

Day 33 I'm feeling less hopeful. Again, we don't know exactly what supplies Samuel had on him. He planned, IMO, a big backpacking trip. The careful consideration of everything you'll be carrying is crucial and how long you can sustain yourself if you're lost and/or injured. There are so many things that can go wrong - injuries, being lost, fatal falls, illness (example -giardia), medical emergency, severe weather that changes the landscape on you, etc.

I'm very passionate about hiking safety and will always recommend a PLB. Cell service, IMO, is not reliable (it's better than nothing however). A PLB is the cheapest insurance on your safety you can have. I carry a Garmin inReach, but there are others to choose from. I also program information into my profile about myself, who is with me, including my dog(s). That information will be passed along to LE & SAR if I activate the SOS. They have that, along with my location.

I feel very sad for Samuel and those who love him. I understand wanting to adventure and enjoy the outdoors. Mother Nature while beautiful can be very unforgiving. IMO

 

[Trackergd]

I carry a whistle, pocket flares, mirror, mini strobe light and a two sided ground cloth blaze orange/silver that I can lay out. I leave a very detailed note about where I will be, what gear and supplies I have with me and when I expect to be back at the trailhead or home. My emergency gear takes up very little space.

 

[kelsie]

sorry if this has already been posted:

these posters have been laminated & distributed all over the island.

 

[kelsie]

I don't think this has been posted yet:
Family of missing UNL student says keep him 'in your prayers' - KLKN-TV

 

[Gloomy Bear]

I still remain hopeful because it seems there are so many stories now of people getting lost in the wilderness and turning up miraculously after a good amount of time. But for Samuel it has really been an awfully big amount of time...

 

[Mamamerced]

So some locals hate tourists/hikers (who are Americans too, like them, in Sam's case) enough to potentially harm them? Just for being there? Sad. JMO

There are plenty drugs on the island and alcohol. Combine them with young men who don't like haoles invading their home/community/culture and crazed trouble can happen. Hitchhiking can be fraught with danger. The island most tourist see is not the true island. I lived on Kauai for ten years and ultimately moved back to the mainland because I was so sensitive to the locals' cultural displacement which is deeply felt by many there, especially the young men.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

Police in Hawaii have suspended searches for a Nebraska man until there is new information on his whereabouts.

Hawaii police suspend search for missing Nebraska man

 

[lucky181]

Search Dog Kauai fb with a map of where he searched in Kokee and Waimea area.

Log into Facebook

link to map:
Samuel Martinez Search

 

[KatzEye]

Search Dog Kauai fb with a map of where he searched in Kokee and Waimea area.

Log into Facebook

Thank you for this @lucky181 ! There's one post here with a short video of the terrain and also a few posts with pics. Post with the video :

Log into Facebook

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Police in Hawaii have suspended searches for a Nebraska man until there is new information on his whereabouts.

Hawaii police suspend search for missing Nebraska man

Darn it.

 

[Trackergd]

You only have to be 10 feet off a trail to be missed by all but a grid search. Looks like the dog checked a huge amount of territory. A sad situation for all.

It's always very hard for the searchers not to be able to give a family closure. PTSD is a very real side effect of being on a SAR team for both the humans and K9's.

 

[Spider92]

This seems to be falling off the radar screen. I hope people are still looking.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Wednesday marks exactly two months since 23-year-old Samuel Martinez was last seen in Hawaii.

TWO MONTHS: UNL student still missing in Hawaii - KLKN-TV

 

[Normancita]

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Wednesday marks exactly two months since 23-year-old Samuel Martinez was last seen in Hawaii.

TWO MONTHS: UNL student still missing in Hawaii - KLKN-TV

So sad!

At this point I’m leaning towards accidental drowning,

 

[RumorMonger]

So sad!

At this point I’m leaning towards accidental drowning,

Why drowning? Do you have a specific body of water you're thinking?

 

[Normancita]

Why drowning? Do you have a specific body of water you're thinking?

No body after all this time and extensive searches.

 

[DeDee]

IMHO

The only thing worse than dying by drowning would be dying in a fire. Both options are unacceptable to me.

I prefer a suicide before either of those two methods. At least, one has somewhat control over how one's going to die, when and where, if doing so by their own hands and under their own terms.

There is not a more beautiful place to be if, and when, that time comes, than to be on the peaceful Garden Island of Kauai.

 

[Mamamerced]

No body after all this time and extensive searches.

More likely to fall or get lost off trail in Koke'e.

 

[Mamamerced]

This seems to be falling off the radar screen. I hope people are still looking.

There is a man who continues to independently search around the Koke'e area with his tracking dog, a German Shepherd. He has a FB page, Kauai Search Dog, I believe.

 

[Mamamerced]

There is a man who continues to independently search around the Koke'e area with his tracking dog, a German Shepherd. He has a FB page, Kauai Search Dog, I believe.

Sorry, too late to edit my above post.
The FB page is named Search Dog Kauai.