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

[MimosaMornings]

The “he has hiked before but he’s not experienced” is concerning.

 

[zecats]

Kaua'i Search and Rescue volunteers continue search for missing Nebraska man Samuel Martinez in Hawaii

BBM

LIHUE, Hawaii (KHON2) — The Kaua’i Search and Rescue volunteers will a ground search on Tuesday, June 1 for missing Nebraska college student Samuel Martinez.

On Memorial Day, the Kauai Fire Department, Kauai Police Department, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Kaua’i Civil Air Patrol, and Kaua’i Search and Rescue searched for the 23-year-old man but did not find any sign of him.

The County of Kauai reports without any further leads, the aerial search for Martinez has been suspended.

 

[Inthedetails]

Kaua'i Search and Rescue volunteers continue search for missing Nebraska man Samuel Martinez in Hawaii

BBM

LIHUE, Hawaii (KHON2) — The Kaua’i Search and Rescue volunteers will a ground search on Tuesday, June 1 for missing Nebraska college student Samuel Martinez.

On Memorial Day, the Kauai Fire Department, Kauai Police Department, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Kaua’i Civil Air Patrol, and Kaua’i Search and Rescue searched for the 23-year-old man but did not find any sign of him.

The County of Kauai reports without any further leads, the aerial search for Martinez has been suspended.

Aerial search suspended, but still searching on foot?? Do we know?

jmo

 

[Trackergd]

Aerial searches are useful in open areas and trails that are visible from the air. Thick undergrowth, thick tree canopies tend to make it much more difficult unless other technology (such as FLIR) are utilized. I was once tracking a runaway horse and rider, the helicopter was right over me (I was on a wooded trail following the specific horse shoe prints) and the noise was driving me nuts as well as making it impossible for me to hear if the subject was calling for help. I called the helicopter crew on my handheld and asked if they could see me, they replied they could not. I told them I was waving a yellow helmet and they still could not see me. I sent them off to search open fields and roadways. A short time later I found where the horse and rider had crossed a creek and sent another team in from the other direction and they found the subject right away...in an open field...

 

[Inthedetails]

Aerial searches are useful in open areas and trails that are visible from the air. Thick undergrowth, thick tree canopies tend to make it much more difficult unless other technology (such as FLIR) are utilized. I was once tracking a runaway horse and rider, the helicopter was right over me (I was on a wooded trail following the specific horse shoe prints) and the noise was driving me nuts as well as making it impossible for me to hear if the subject was calling for help. I called the helicopter crew on my handheld and asked if they could see me, they replied they could not. I told them I was waving a yellow helmet and they still could not see me. I sent them off to search open fields and roadways. A short time later I found where the horse and rider had crossed a creek and sent another team in from the other direction and they found the subject right away...in an open field...

The ariel might have been useful in searching the beaches. I recall some on Kauai are quite remote, not easily accessible, and might have been a place he explored. Perhaps now they eliminated isolated beaches from the list of possible places.

jmo

 

[Trackergd]

Someone was asking about another case.

HI - HI - Khiara Henry, 23, tourist, Kahului, Maui, 25 July 2019 *car found at Waiʻānapanapa State Park*

 

[NervousNellie]

There was a young african american woman who went missing in HI sometime last year. I cant remember her name but there is a thread here. Was she ever found?

Someone was asking about another case.

HI - HI - Khiara Henry, 23, tourist, Kahului, Maui, 25 July 2019 *car found at Waiʻānapanapa State Park*

 

[Trackergd]

The “he has hiked before but he’s not experienced” is concerning.

Yea, me too. Inexperienced lost individuals go through stages that you can actually read in their tracks. They are walking along, then they stop and look around. then they walk back and forth looking for a landmark, then they panic and take off running blindly until exhausted and collapse. Happens about 80% of the time, more so in young individuals and children as compared to older folks who tend sit down and try to noodle their way out of the predicament.

 

[zencompass]

Aerial searches are useful in open areas and trails that are visible from the air. Thick undergrowth, thick tree canopies tend to make it much more difficult unless other technology (such as FLIR) are utilized. I was once tracking a runaway horse and rider, the helicopter was right over me (I was on a wooded trail following the specific horse shoe prints) and the noise was driving me nuts as well as making it impossible for me to hear if the subject was calling for help. I called the helicopter crew on my handheld and asked if they could see me, they replied they could not. I told them I was waving a yellow helmet and they still could not see me. I sent them off to search open fields and roadways. A short time later I found where the horse and rider had crossed a creek and sent another team in from the other direction and they found the subject right away...in an open field...

Good afternoon @Trackergd,

So glad you are on this thread!

Hoping that they will use FLIR technology. Perhaps they already are.

 

[zecats]

One thought that stresses me, seems he may have gone missing early into the trip. His parents were waiting to hear from him in between stops and they never did, chalking it up to poor service (would it be?).

If he did indeed get lost, or what ever happened to him, happened in the first day or so, then it was some time before he was reported missing. Searchers were probably many days behind already when they began to look for him.

As for tracking, hope there are indeed signs to follow, even in his potential inexperience. Basing info that he was seen at his initial campsite (or on the way there), that would be the place to concentrate efforts. IMO

I feel so sad for his parents as well.

“Help him come home” Parents of UNL student missing in Hawaii asking for help

“We weren’t able to have contact with him after the first day, we figured the service was bad and we lightly worried for a bit. For 10 days it built and built and built and then he did not board his plane from Hawaii to LAX on the 25, so the 26 we were aware that he didn’t make it to Omaha,” Ted says.

Extensive searches have been conducted by the Kaua’i Police Department and several other agencies.


--Nebraska man still missing after extensive land and air search operation-- KŌKE‘E – An extensive search operation...

Posted by Kaua'i Police Department on Sunday, May 30, 2021
Sam had an itinerary for his trip and received permits at several campsites in Kaua’i state parks. On May 13, police confirmed that Samuel was seen by another hiker while on his way to his first campsite.

“The gentleman said there was nothing out of the ordinary, Samuel shared with him that he hitchhiked across Kaua’i and hiked north up to the state park,” says Ted. “Which is what we thought he did,” Cherie adds.

The two say they know he stopped at a grocery store to buy food before heading north into the state park.

 

[ClaireNC]

Yea, me too. Inexperienced lost individuals go through stages that you can actually read in their tracks. They are walking along, then they stop and look around. then they walk back and forth looking for a landmark, then they panic and take off running blindly until exhausted and collapse. Happens about 80% of the time, more so in young individuals and children as compared to older folks who tend sit down and try to noodle their way out of the predicament.

Trackergd, Thanks so much for your insights!

Jumping off your post...
It's been stated that Sam has minimal hiking experience. I suspect he's also not particularly experienced in camping, since he bought a new tent, sleeping bag and backpack for this trip. I wonder if he's had any experience with traveling alone? Has he ever done any back-country hiking? Has he ever been camping alone?

ETA: It sounds like he never even made it to the first campsite.

 

[zecats]

Search still going on, even if aerial suspended

Hawaii search still on for missing Nebraska hiker

WAIMEA, Hawaii (AP) — An aerial search for a Nebraska man missing in Hawaii has been suspended, but volunteers planned to continue searching for him on the ground Tuesday.

Samuel Joseph Martinez, 23, was studying microbiology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before he flew to the Hawaiian island of Kauai on May 12 with plans to spend nearly two weeks hiking and camping.

His family hasn’t heard from him since a few hours after he landed on Kauai, his father, Ted Martinez, said last weekend.

Samuel Martinez had eight permits to camp at different locations around Kauai.

 

[rainynights]

Kaua'i Police Department said investigators were able to track cell phone pings from Martinez’s cell phone at about 4:40 p.m. on May 12 in the vicinity of Waimea Canyon Drive Road. The last ping obtained from his cell phone was around 8:20 p.m. in the same general area of Waimea and Kke‘e state parks. Cell phone data was run through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as Civil Air Patrol’s Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t found any sign of Mr. Martinez throughout our searches. We also haven’t encountered anyone who has accurately identified him and his whereabouts,” said Investigative Services Bureau Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce. “At this point, there are several possibilities that could have taken place, especially on an island with dangerous terrain in places like Waimea Canyon and Kke‘e State Park trails, but we are still hoping for the best.”

[...]

Nebraska man still missing in Hawaii

Kalalau Beach and its campgrounds were also searched, as well as combing through an unmarked trail in a grid-like pattern that starts at the back of Kalalau Valley and leads up to the top of the ridge near the Kalalau Lookout. Additionally, Miloli‘i Beach was searched, as well as its valley. The bottom of Waimea Valley to the top of Koai‘e Canyon was also traversed.

[...]

Aerial Search for Missing Nebraska Man on Kaua‘i Suspended | Big Island Now

 

[kelsie]

this case makes me so sad. i understand the allure of travelling alone but honestly the risks outweigh the benefits (imo, and i'm also a woman which adds risks). i can't imagine losing your child in this way. goes across the ocean to explore and never seen again. absolutely heart wrenching. i pray my gut instinct about this is wrong and that he's surviving somewhere out there.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Was this his lifelong dream? Or a sudden desire to go there alone?

 

[Trackergd]

Waimea Canyon - Just looked at that in Google 3D. I got a sudden case of acrophobia, sheesh that is one heck of a drop. Way past high angle rescue.

 

[mrsu]

So there was confirmation of him making it to camping site #1. LE spoke with someone who saw him at Kokee Campground. From there he would have been headed to Wailkoali Campground? I can’t even find that on a map!

 

[Spartygirl]

I received an update that they located someone who talked to him at Kokee State Park. So they are working up from there.

Thank you for being here with us and sharing info.
We need to find Sam !!!
If he is injured or lost then time is of the essence.

 

[Spartygirl]

Aerial searches are useful in open areas and trails that are visible from the air. Thick undergrowth, thick tree canopies tend to make it much more difficult unless other technology (such as FLIR) are utilized. I was once tracking a runaway horse and rider, the helicopter was right over me (I was on a wooded trail following the specific horse shoe prints) and the noise was driving me nuts as well as making it impossible for me to hear if the subject was calling for help. I called the helicopter crew on my handheld and asked if they could see me, they replied they could not. I told them I was waving a yellow helmet and they still could not see me. I sent them off to search open fields and roadways. A short time later I found where the horse and rider had crossed a creek and sent another team in from the other direction and they found the subject right away...in an open field...

@Trackergd -- I am so glad you are in this thread.
Your experience is priceless and helps me to understand searching techniques.

 

[Spider92]

I've been to Kauai a couple of times but not for about 20 years. Like paradise. A couple of things stayed with me. First, we took a helicopter tour and I was blown away by the natural beauty, much of which appeared to be in remote areas not accessible by road. I was near obsessed with the huge waterfalls - I couldn't believe Nature could create such beautiful scenes by accident. I also remember that the beaches were mediocre due to poor swimming conditions - there were so many rocks created by past lava activities. I'll also say that I visited Maui last year with my spouse and our adult age children. To say to the trip was perfect would be a grand understatement. We visited a particular ocean side cliff and I thought for a moment that my oldest, who suffers from bi-polar disorder was going to jump. Collectively, those memories make me very worried that Samuel could have been viewing a beautiful vista, lost his footing and fallen to the rocks below. When traveling alone, you've got nobody to say "hey you're getting a little too close to the edge there!". I'm hoping my instincts are wrong and that's he found a beautiful Hawaiian soulmate and lost count of the days.
Sorry for the long post - it got away from me!