HI HI - Piotr Drabik, 34, Lihue, *From Canada. Missed flight in Utah*, 1 Sept 2006

[ChatteringBirds]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

MISSING
Missing Person / NamUs #MP10108
Piotr Drabik
Male, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact: September 1, 2006
Missing From: Lihue, Hawaii

Case Information
Demographics
Missing Age: 34 Years
Current Age: 48 Years
Sex: Male
Height: 6' 0" - 6' 1" (72 - 73 Inches)
Weight: 150 - 175 lbs
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact: September 1, 2006
NamUs Case Created: April 6, 2011
Last Known Location Map
Location: Lihue, Hawaii
County: Kauai County

Circumstances of Disappearance
Subject was dropped off at Edmonton Airport , Canada on September 1, 2006. He informed a friend he was going to catch a Delta Airlines Flight to Hawaii and intends to go hiking in the mountains and visit the volcano; also related that he was returning to Canada on September 8, 2006. Piotr hasn't been seen or made contact since then. It was learned that Piotr purchased a one way ticket and boarded an inter-island flight from Honolulu to Lihue,Kauai on September 1, 2006.
Circumstance Notes
Case started in Canada on 09/01/2006 refered to several PD's from Utah, Hawaii PD, Honolulu PD to Kauai PD

Physical Description
Hair Color: Brown
Facial Hair Description: goatee and a moustache
Left Eye Color: Brown
Right Eye Color: Brown

Distinctive Physical Features
No Known Information

Clothing and Accessories
Accessories
hiking stick, red backpack

Clothing
green shirt, dark green pants, green jacket

Transportation Notes
Delta Airlines to Hawaii

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Information from: Piotr Drabik – The Charley Project



Drabik, circa 2006

Missing Since
09/01/2006
Missing From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Classification: Endangered Missing

Height and Weight: 6'1, 175 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description:
A bright green shirt, dark green pants and a bright green jacket.

Distinguishing Characteristics:
Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Drabik wears eyeglasses with oval wire frames. He has a tattoo of an exotic bird on one shoulder. His hair was very short at the time of his disappearance. Drabik speaks fluent English, Russian and Polish.

Details of Disappearance
Drabik resided in Canada in 2006. He was last seen at the Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City, Utah. He planned to travel to Hawaii for two weeks' vacation; he wanted to visit Molokai and climb the cliff there.

He flew from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to Salt Lake City and was scheduled to board a Delta flight to Honolulu, Hawaii from there. He was carrying a red backpack and two walking sticks at the airport.

Authorities initially doubted Drabik made it to Hawaii, as he did not board his connecting flight. However, he is known to have purchased a ticket from Honolulu to Kauai, Hawaii on September 4, three days after he was seen in Utah.

Drabik was a noted scientist and minor celebrity in his native Poland; his specialties included physiology, molecular biology and chemistry. He achieved two doctoral degrees and three master's degrees from a Polish university and was also an author, champion athlete, and outdoor adventurer who had climbed Mount Everest.
At the time of his disappearance, he was working as a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute for Nanotechnology in Alberta. Drabik's non-professional interests include mountaineering, trekking in remote areas, tae kwon do, yachting, skydiving, history, philosophy, astrobiology and meteorology.

Drabik normally kept in close touch with his loved ones, but they have not heard from him since August 31, the day before he went missing. He has a young daughter by his ex-wife in Edmonton.

Drabik's credit card has not been used since he vanished.

Authorities have searched in Hawaii on the supposition that Drabik had an accident while hiking there, but found no indication of his whereabouts. His disappearance remains unsolved. Utah police are investigating.

Investigating Agency
Salt Lake City Airport Police 801-575-2470

 

[ChatteringBirds]

It's unclear to me whether he made the connecting flight from Salt Lake City to Hawaii, but it does sound like he made it to Hawaii somehow.

An article from 2006:
New clues found in search for scientist

...police in Hawaii said they have uncovered new evidence that shows Drabik then traveled to the island of Kauai...

Seems he made it to HI but hasn't been seen since heading to Kauai. I wonder what happened to him?
All IMO.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Bumping up case one more time.

Article from 2006:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ex-wife-fearful-missing-scientist-had-accident-1.615716

The former wife of a missing Polish scientist who worked in Edmonton says she and his parents believe he may have had some kind of accident while hiking...

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Interesting and sad article. He is mentioned toward the end.

The curse of Kalalau Trail: Search on for missing Jesse Pinegar from trail that has seen many vanish

Other people who have disappeared on the trail include Bradford Turek in 2004, Atticus Louis Pearson in 1999, and Ilya Lomov in 2013

meaww.com