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

  • #21
I am very worried about this kind-looking young man who clearly just wanted to have his dream nature-adventure.
Rooting for him to be found very soon.
 
  • #22
I've been hiking in Kauai, though it's been several years since I was there. There are areas of wildnerness, but the island itself is not big so that gives me hope he will be found.

Did he have any plans to be in the beach, in addition to hiking? The surf can be rough there.

jmo
I don’t know that he had any plans to be on the beach. Mostly just his itinerary
 
  • #23
I've been hiking in Kauai, though it's been several years since I was there. There are areas of wildnerness, but the island itself is not big so that gives me hope he will be found.

Did he have any plans to be in the beach, in addition to hiking? The surf can be rough there.

jmo
I don’t know that he had any plans to be on the beach. Mostly just his itinerary
 
  • #24
I don’t know that he had any plans to be on the beach. Mostly just his itinerary
Did he leave an itinerary with family/friends - how is it known where he planned to be? Had he been keeping social media updated, texting, etc on his trip?
 
  • #25
Did he leave an itinerary with family/friends - how is it known where he planned to be? Had he been keeping social media updated, texting, etc on his trip?
Yes he gave an itinerary (I apologize, I thought it was posted on here. I attached it). He was communicating with immediate family up until May 12, but doesn’t post on social media much.
 

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  • #26
Yes he gave an itinerary (I apologize, I thought it was posted on here. I attached it). He was communicating with immediate family up until May 12, but doesn’t post on social media much.
Thanks. So he was careful with his travels, not the type to want to disappear for awhile without informing people.

Does that reflect his hiking personality too, likely to stick to trails, etc. Or would he be drawn to more risky, challenging type hikes, off trail?

jmo
 
  • #27
Thanks. So he was careful with his travels, not the type to want to disappear for awhile without informing people.

Does that reflect his hiking personality too, likely to stick to trails, etc. Or would he be drawn to more risky, challenging type hikes, off trail?

jmo
He seems like the kind of person who wouldn’t take on a challenge that he didn’t think was realistic for his abilities. Definitely not the type to disappear without telling people, loved by lots of friends and family
 
  • #28
Looks like this is the campsite where he was last known to be. At this website there are links to trails.

Kōkeʻe State Park
 
  • #29
Looks like this is the campsite where he was last known to be. At this website there are links to trails.

Kōkeʻe State Park
Looking through the list of trails in that park, they cover the range from easy, to moderate, to difficult. None of them are particularly long trails. The difficult ones seem doable for a healthy young man, with the danger being high cliffs. That is my concern, tbh.

jmo
 
  • #30
Samuel is studying microbiology at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln senior reported missing in Hawaii

Looks like graduation for UNL happened before his trip to Hawaii and I see him described as senior rather than graduate. Not sure if he graduated, or planned to continue studies in the fall. Was the trip a graduation gift to himself? Did he have summer plans - internship, job, etc.?

jmo
 
  • #31
Here's a local news site for Kauai we can keep an eye on. Samuel's story is currently on the front page.

Kauai Now
 
  • #32
What I'm learning about Kokee State Park is that the weather is way, way wetter than many visitors expect.

I recall from my visits to the island is that there are many completely different climates and ecosystems all in a short distance from each other.

jmo
 
  • #33
Thanks Hoosier. Can you add the airport to the map? He was driven to a grocery store from the airport according to the article linked above. "After arriving on Kaua‘i, Martinez received a ride to the grocery store on the Westside from the airport from an unknown party, his father said."
I wonder if the grocery store he went to was the Big Save Market in Waimea and that was the last known location.

I have added airport and grocery stop to the map
 
  • #34
I live on Maui. I feel as if it is really difficult to search for tourists when they go missing here because you don't get the same sort of response from the community as you do when the missing person is local. When tourists go missing, it's almost an assumption that they deserved to go missing because they were doing something or going somewhere they shouldn't have. I am not saying this is the case or this is how I feel personally but it is a very common attitude here. Are any of his family or friends able to travel to Kauai to help search efforts? I hate to say it, but without anyone from his circle on island pushing for search efforts, I don't see much effort being put into finding him especially when they aren't entirely sure where to look besides his potential itinerary. I currently have friends form Maui hiking on Kauai and have forwarded them Samuel's picture and itinerary.

The Big Save grocery store in Eleele is quite small and there really isn't much around it. I used to live in the neighboring town of Hanapepe and Big Save was our nearest grocery store. It's all a pretty quiet and rural area. There is a boat launch area just down the street from Big Save (which is located in a small shopping plaza with a few other shops) and I believe there are a lot of boat tours that depart from that marina (Port Allen) that go along the Napali Coast.
 
  • #35
I have added airport and grocery stop to the map
His last known location Big Save Market in Waimea, is that correct?

Here's what that place looks like. How was he planning to get to his camp site #1 from the store? Uber/Lyft? I'm assuming he didn't rent a car at the airport since he was given a ride to the store.
Google Maps
 
  • #36
I live on Maui. I feel as if it is really difficult to search for tourists when they go missing here because you don't get the same sort of response from the community as you do when the missing person is local. When tourists go missing, it's almost an assumption that they deserved to go missing because they were doing something or going somewhere they shouldn't have. I am not saying this is the case or this is how I feel personally but it is a very common attitude here. Are any of his family or friends able to travel to Kauai to help search efforts? I hate to say it, but without anyone from his circle on island pushing for search efforts, I don't see much effort being put into finding him especially when they aren't entirely sure where to look besides his potential itinerary. I currently have friends form Maui hiking on Kauai and have forwarded them Samuel's picture and itinerary.

The Big Save grocery store in Eleele is quite small and there really isn't much around it. I used to live in the neighboring town of Hanapepe and Big Save was our nearest grocery store. It's all a pretty quiet and rural area. There is a boat launch area just down the street from Big Save (which is located in a small shopping plaza with a few other shops) and I believe there are a lot of boat tours that depart from that marina (Port Allen) that go along the Napali Coast.
Thanks for the local perspective and info - and for sharing Samuel's photos locally.

Do you know how the camping works at the state park? Since Samuel already completed all the reservation, would he need to also check into the park onsite, or just find his camping spot? I'm wondering if he did make it to the state park, Koke State Park, and we just don't know it? Or are campers required to check-in when they arrive?

jmo
 
  • #37
Here's Sam's planned itinerary:
Kokee State Park campsite #2 5/12-5/13.
Wailkoali campsite #1 5/14-5/16.
Kawaikoi campsite #1 5/16-5/18.
Napali Coast State Wilderness Park campsite in the Kalalau area 5/18-5/19.
Sugi Grove campsite #1 5/19-5/21.
Wiliwili 5/23-5/25.

That's a lot of moving around during the short time he was planning to be there. Was he planning to hike from campsite to campsite? Or use some form of public transportation? Rely on the generosity of strangers to get around?
 
  • #38
I live on Maui.

Are you familiar with how camping permits work on the islands? Would they be a paper/digital permit? Would a camper need to check-in and check-out with a gate attendant or is it just a permit allowing you to be there?
 
  • #39
Hi there guys! I’m a friend of Sam’s and I would like to hop into the conversation to provide more information/get answers, if that’s okay! The grocery store was the Big Save in Eleele.

His last known location Big Save Market in Waimea, is that correct?

Here's what that place looks like. How was he planning to get to his camp site #1 from the store? Uber/Lyft? I'm assuming he didn't rent a car at the airport since he was given a ride to the store.
Google Maps

I've bolded the quote above that says he was at the Big Save in Eleele vs Waimea.

Thanks for the local perspective and info - and for sharing Samuel's photos locally.

Do you know how the camping works at the state park? Since Samuel already completed all the reservation, would he need to also check into the park onsite, or just find his camping spot? I'm wondering if he did make it to the state park, Koke State Park, and we just don't know it? Or are campers required to check-in when they arrive?

jmo

I see we have the same questions.
 
  • #40
I received an update that they located someone who talked to him at Kokee State Park. So they are working up from there.
 

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