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

[Hoosier952]

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!

I marked what I think might be the camp on the map, but no amount of Google searches led me to a camp of that name. I just kind of assumed where he might camp based on what I would do if I was hiking camp to camp on a trail system. If Sam was hitchhiking around the island, then this could be completely wrong, however the camp is near two streams with a similar name. HI - Samuel Martinez, 23, Kauai, 12 May 2021 - Google My Maps

 

[DeDee]

It's understandable that Samuel planned a marvelous hiking experience on the Garden Island.

When thinking of Wiamea Canyon, think of the Grand Canyon only it's lush with exotic wildlife, bright green vegetation, waterfalls and tree canopies abound. There's one winding paved road that'll take you from the S end to the N point that requires a good half a day or an 8+ hour day, round trip, by vehicle.

Captain Cook left roosters on the island. Then, Hurricane Anniki came ashore and tossed roosters all over the island. They lost their sense of when to crow so they crow whether day or night. Many scenes in the movie "Jurassic Park" were shot at WC.

Members that followed sweet Charli's murder investigation, will recall how lush the area is. A philodendron leaf is the size of a medium satellite disc. It can be treacherous territory, too, when it rains. And, it rains a lot!

Samuel, with his classy backpack and gear, would almost immediately be IDed as a tourist. It's dangerous to catch a ride with strangers though. The importance of staying strictly on trails cannot be overstated due to the hazardous terrain.

How did Samuel intend to keep his cell phone charged? Did he take flares with him? Does he have a brother, cousin or best friend who could possibly travel to Kauai?

Samuel Martinez, where are you? We've just got to know.

 

[DeDee]

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.

Thank you for helping your friend. We hope to be helpful, too.

Does anyone know why he stopped at the S end of Wiamea since it's not even on his itinerary?

What time did his flight arrive?

Samuel leaves the airport and catches a ride to the market near Wiamea Dr. Did Law Enforcement confirm his presence after he left the food market where the one hiker claimed to have seen him?

 

[lucky181]

Samuel's aunt, FMS, gave a detailed update 11pm CST 6/1 on the Kauai Marketplace fb

Kauai Marketplace

 

[Trackergd]

Posting this for family and HI SAR. It is important to determine if Samuel is left or right handed. Right handed people will circle to the right when lost and take the right hand branch of a Y or T in a trail the majority of the time. Left handed people will circle to the left and take the left hand branch of a Y or T in the trail the majority of the time. Right handed people have a shorter stride on the right side, left handed people have a shorter stride on the left side. Photographs of a couple of pairs of Samuel's shoes that are as close to what he was wearing as possible and clearly show the wear patterns will help the SAR teams ID Samuels tracks, notable where there are other tracks. Lost individuals will usually head towards the sound of running water as it has a calming effect. Individuals can last quite a while without food, but not very long without water. Lost individuals will also head towards the sound of vehicles or machinery. This is important because in the absence of a trail, they will head cross country towards the sounds and get themselves into all sorts of problems in washes, drop offs, heavy vegetation, etc. Leg and foot injuries as well as falls are the most common in these situations.

 

[Trackergd]

Locals, what type of predators and venomous critters are native to the area? Just trying to assess the risk factors.

 

[Inthedetails]

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

With the amount of planning he did, I don't think it was a sudden desire. He registered for all the camp sites in advance - didn't head out on a whim hoping to find places to stay as he hiked around randomly. He provided a detailed itinerary to his family. My hunch is he's been wanting to go for awhile, but was waiting for the end of the school year, plus perhaps waited for covid restrictions easing on travel.

May today be the day he is found.

jmo

 

[windrower]

Parents of missing UNL student Samuel Martinez speak out

View attachment 299086

[...]

"There's been a call into the Kauai Police Department yesterday," Ted said. "A store clerk at a grocery store did see him, they pulled footage, we'll hear today if that was Samuel. He's pretty identifiable. We have photos of his gear because we have his Amazon account."

[...]

Ted tells 3 News Now the search team will go out and use more technology and try to gain access through Verizon to Sam's cell phone and possible GPS location.

The police, fire department, civil air patrol and rangers used aerial assets and boots on the ground to search Sam's known campsite reservation locations. They've passed out fliers and talked to other hikers who might have seen Sam on the trails.

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

[...]

Samuel’s parents, Cherie and Ted, live in North Bend and say Samuel left Omaha on the 12th for a 14-day solo trip. Something they say he’s wanted to do for a long time.

[...]

“We have wanted every hour to go to Eppley to get on a plane to go to Kaua’i, however, what is best for Samuel is not his mother and father up in the mountains lost and launching a search party for us,” said Ted. “We’ve been professionally advised to stay here with family members and build the information and social media base and follow up with Kaua’i and help them by getting them information about Sam from his friends and his digital footprint.”

Ted and Cherie say they wanted to include photos of his camping gear in case anyone using the trails in Hawaii during the busy holiday weekend may spot it.

I would advise his parents to go to Kaua’i. Not to search, but to be close and available. I’d hate for them to regret not being there.

Everything they were doing can be done there (talking with friends, digital footprints, online databases, social media, etc.), and if nothing else, they would be in the proximity of their son.

IMO. If it was my child, you couldn’t keep me away.

 

[ClaireNC]

Locals, what type of predators and venomous critters are native to the area? Just trying to assess the risk factors.

I'm not local, but I found this interesting: https://www.journeyingtheglobe.com/most-dangerous-animals-in-hawaii/

 

[DeDee]

I marked what I think might be the camp on the map, but no amount of Google searches led me to a camp of that name. I just kind of assumed where he might camp based on what I would do if I was hiking camp to camp on a trail system. If Sam was hitchhiking around the island, then this could be completely wrong, however the camp is near two streams with a similar name. HI - Samuel Martinez, 23, Kauai, 12 May 2021 - Google My Maps

Thank you for the map of Kauai as it's been quite useful. I figured out why I was confused.

If I may offer an opinion; however, I think the pin marked as place last seen at the S end of Wiamea is incorrect. Due to Samuel being in Koke Park coupled with the report of him being at Wiamea, then it is the Northern most tip of WC and south of Koke that would be his position.

Don't change the "last seen" pin's location on my behalf unless Samuel being at the N tip of WC makes the most sense to everyone. I'm simply someone who loves to visit Hawaii for diving purposes, etal

 

[rainynights]

June 1, 2021
Kaua’i Police resume aerial search for missing UNL student

A Kaua’i Police Public Information Officer told Six News late Tuesday the department’s efforts led them to a vast search of Kōkeʻe, the state park KPD confirmed Martinez reached during part of his hike.

[...]

Wednesday, May 12th, KPD tracked Martinez’s cell phone signal to a Waimea Canyon Road, which is 3,000 feet deep and 10 miles long. It’s also much farther south from Kōkeʻe where they believe Martinez began.

KPD did not share an official press release Tuesday, explaining that the Chief of the search team and other members were so far in the mountains, they were out of communication range.

[...]

June 2, 2021
Searchers sought to look for missing Nebraska man | The Garden Island

[...]

Experienced hikers, mountain bikers and hunters can volunteer for search efforts today, meeting at 8 a.m. or noon at the Koke‘e Museum. Volunteers are asked to download the Gaia GPS or Avenza Map apps.

Volunteers from Kaua‘i Search and Rescue continued to search Tuesday, with focus on Waimea and Koke‘e state parks. An Air-1 pilot and Kaua‘i Police Department detectives did another sweep of both parks from about 9:45 to 11:45 a.m., a KPD spokesperson said.

“Some of the areas covered included Wai‘alae and the state cabin, the area of Camp 10, as well as other parts of the Waimea Canyon,” a spokesperson reported.

“Air-1 also flew over the Alaka‘i Swamp, the edge of the Kalepa Ridge Trail to the Kalalau Lookout, the entire Kalalau Valley, Miloli‘i Beach, Kalalau Beach and the Kalalau Trail. Kaua‘i Search and Rescue also conducted numerous ground searches. There is still no sign of missing 23-year-old Samuel Martinez,” the KPD spokesperson said.

 

[Hoosier952]

Thank you for the map of Kauai as it's been quite useful. I figured out why I was confused.

If I may offer an opinion; however, I think the pin marked as place last seen at the S end of Wiamea is incorrect. Due to Samuel being in Koke Park coupled with the report of him being at Wiamea, then it is the Northern most tip of WC and south of Koke that would be his position.

Don't change the "last seen" pin's location on my behalf unless Samuel being at the N tip of WC makes the most sense to everyone. I'm simply someone who loves to visit Hawaii for diving purposes, etal

I had been debating on changing it. When I started the map, the grocery store was the last place he was known to be and I wasn't sure if a random hiker claiming to have seen him was actually credible or not. I will update to remove last known location on that specific pin, but will wait for everyone's opinions on whether to add a new pin and where.

 

[DeDee]

I had been debating on changing it. When I started the map, the grocery store was the last place he was known to be and I wasn't sure if a random hiker claiming to have seen him was actually credible or not. I will update to remove last known location on that specific pin, but will wait for everyone's opinions on whether to add a new pin and where.

From data in post above by RainyNights:

"Wednesday, May 12th, KPD tracked Martinez’s cell phone signal to a Waimea Canyon Road, which is 3,000 feet deep and 10 miles long. It’s also much farther south from Kōkeʻe where they believe Martinez began."

Hoosier, appears as if the "last known" location may be accurate after all. If so, it begs the question: How did Samuel arrive back South near where he began the trek? There's no way anyone could walk/ hike that distance if beginning at the Northern edge near Koke State Park. Or was it only his cellphone that pinged WC Road and it was not with Samuel, att?

"Wai‘alae and the state cabin, the area of Camp 10"

So they searched Wai'alae and State Cabin 10. Wish we knew why they specifically searched Cabin 10.

 

[DeDee]

June 1, 2021
Kaua’i Police resume aerial search for missing UNL student

A Kaua’i Police Public Information Officer told Six News late Tuesday the department’s efforts led them to a vast search of Kōkeʻe, the state park KPD confirmed Martinez reached during part of his hike.

[...]

Wednesday, May 12th, KPD tracked Martinez’s cell phone signal to a Waimea Canyon Road, which is 3,000 feet deep and 10 miles long. It’s also much farther south from Kōkeʻe where they believe Martinez began.

KPD did not share an official press release Tuesday, explaining that the Chief of the search team and other members were so far in the mountains, they were out of communication range.

[...]

June 2, 2021
Searchers sought to look for missing Nebraska man | The Garden Island

[...]

Experienced hikers, mountain bikers and hunters can volunteer for search efforts today, meeting at 8 a.m. or noon at the Koke‘e Museum. Volunteers are asked to download the Gaia GPS or Avenza Map apps.

Volunteers from Kaua‘i Search and Rescue continued to search Tuesday, with focus on Waimea and Koke‘e state parks. An Air-1 pilot and Kaua‘i Police Department detectives did another sweep of both parks from about 9:45 to 11:45 a.m., a KPD spokesperson said.

“Some of the areas covered included Wai‘alae and the state cabin, the area of Camp 10, as well as other parts of the Waimea Canyon,” a spokesperson reported.

“Air-1 also flew over the Alaka‘i Swamp, the edge of the Kalepa Ridge Trail to the Kalalau Lookout, the entire Kalalau Valley, Miloli‘i Beach, Kalalau Beach and the Kalalau Trail. Kaua‘i Search and Rescue also conducted numerous ground searches. There is still no sign of missing 23-year-old Samuel Martinez,” the KPD spokesperson said.

From the June 2 link:

"Monday, investigators were able to track cell-phone activity from Martinez’s cell phone at about 4:40 p.m. on May 12 in the vicinity of Waimea Canyon Drive. The last ping was around 8:20 p.m., in the same general area of Waimea and Koke‘e state parks, according to a KPD release Monday."

Operating at a disadvantage, due to spotty wifi vacation w/ out laptop. Please pardon confusion by using your best judgment.

His cellphone last pings to the North of the island near Koke'e State Park and Wiamea Canyon.

JMHO

 

[DeDee]

Found no unusual weather conditions, except wind gusts were higher than average

Waimea, HI Weather History | Weather Underground

 

[zecats]

There is already such a long time since he was last seen or since his parents heard from him. Now at 3 weeks. Water should be easy for him to find if he is lost. And we can assume he had food that he carried in his pack. He did previously stop at a store. Still, 3 weeks today right? Time is certainly of the essence. IMO

 

[Hoosier952]

From data in post above by RainyNights:

"Wednesday, May 12th, KPD tracked Martinez’s cell phone signal to a Waimea Canyon Road, which is 3,000 feet deep and 10 miles long. It’s also much farther south from Kōkeʻe where they believe Martinez began."

Hoosier, appears as if the "last known" location may be accurate after all. If so, it begs the question: How did Samuel arrive back South near where he began the trek? There's no way anyone could walk/ hike that distance if beginning at the Northern edge near Koke State Park. Or was it only his cellphone that pinged WC Road and it was not with Samuel, att?

"Wai‘alae and the state cabin, the area of Camp 10"

So they searched Wai'alae and State Cabin 10. Wish we knew why they specifically searched Cabin 10.

It looks as though cabin 10 is in or very nearby the campground where he was camping his first night. Maybe no one was renting it and just being thorough? Or could have even been someone seeing someone similar to Samuel staying there.

I'm also curious about the phone pings and how accurate the last ping would be. I know there's been several cases I've followed where the ping was just a fairly large area it could have originated from. I would imagine service in the interior of the island is pretty non-existent.

But if it pinged the last time on the 12th, would that have been the trip up to the campground with the motorist who gave him a ride?

 

[ClaireNC]

I had been debating on changing it. When I started the map, the grocery store was the last place he was known to be and I wasn't sure if a random hiker claiming to have seen him was actually credible or not. I will update to remove last known location on that specific pin, but will wait for everyone's opinions on whether to add a new pin and where.

How about keeping the pin there, but renaming it to grocery store am 5/12/21? Then it's Phone Ping at 4:40 pm on Waimea Canyon Drive 5/12/21. Then at 8:25 pm on 5/12 it's the area where Waimea and Koke‘e state parks intersect around this area: 22.108782151341252, -159.67032493245065 That location is about 2 miles south of the first campsite he had reserved. We don't know if the siting at the campsite has been confirmed.

 

[DeDee]

There is already such a long time since he was last seen or since his parents heard from him. Now at 3 weeks. Water should be easy for him to find if he is lost. And we can assume he had food that he carried in his pack. He did previously stop at a store. Still, 3 weeks today right? Time is certainly of the essence. IMO

Water suitable for drinking on this island is not easily found and is to be avoided from streams and waterfalls. It contains parasites, thus, must be filtered. This important fact is also mentioned on Koke'e State Park's website. Hence, surely Samuel had read this factor and prepared himself as far as his original trek.

Also in the weather underground linked above, very light rain fell during his first few days in the area.

21 days #kicksdirt

 

[Hoosier952]

I had forgotten about his shared snapchat messages that were from 1am on 5/13 suggesting he was alive and well and looking at donkeys in a pasture. Wouldn't uploading those to snapchat ping a tower? Meaning there should be another ping sometime on 5/13.

I'm thinking those pings from 5/12 may be completely irrelevant as far as search location unless the donkey pasture is south of Kokee. Also KPD said Samuel did make it to Kokee which was his first night camping 5/12-5/13, so he likely didn't make it to camp until the wee hours of 5/13.