HI HI - Jeffrey Meek, 43, Keaau, 8 November 2014

www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/27360366/clues-found-in-search-for-missing-big-island-business-owner

His phone pinged in the area of Kaumana Caves which is just minutes from my house.

Here is a map of Pepeekeo where is truck was found and he was working on his property and that of Kaumana Caves where is phone pinged from.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Pep...099226a298e55ef!2m2!1d-155.130827!2d19.687574

I have heard of no public searches taking place. Wish there were as I would help.

I've been down into Kaumana caves… I remember how steep and covered in vegetation the main entrance was. Throw a phone into the area and finding it becomes nearly impossible. Honestly, given how his boots were found and the fact that the phone pinged near the caves: this does not sound like it is going to end well. It sounds like his belongings were scattered as if someone was just randomly throwing them out.

Elphaba said:

I've been down into Kaumana caves… I remember how steep and covered in vegetation the main entrance was. Throw a phone into the area and finding it becomes nearly impossible. Honestly, given how his boots were found and the fact that the phone pinged near the caves: this does not sound like it is going to end well. It sounds like his belongings were scattered as if someone was just randomly throwing them out.

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I agree. This doesn't sound good. No innocent reason that I can think of for why his boots would be scattered about. After reading the article again, his property was mentioned to be at Pepeekeo Point. They scoured the coastline a half mile away so I assume the property is a half mile from the ocean. The coastline there has steep cliffs dropping off into the ocean. I can think of only three logical explanations. Either he had a mental break or accidentally got too close to the edge of the cliff or foul play. Many people here are not in favor of development. Maybe he was confronted by someone about his future building plans. I have never been in Kaumana Caves but I did walk down to the entrance. It is very secluded. Easy place to toss out a phone either on their way home or if they lived in Pepeekeo, just to throw a red herring into the mix.

All of the lots are ocean front at Pepeekeo Point, from what I can see. This land was purchased from the former sugar-growing giant C. Brewer by Continental Pacific LLC, an Alabama-based, New Jersey-registered company. http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=898 Unless there has been any splitting of properties as they sold, all should still be ocean front.

I could see him locking his truck and walking out from where his truck was stuck, but can't see him hiking all the way down to the cave. That wouldn't make any sense. (I also assume that Kaumana Caves would be the first place they would look for him, and he wasn't there). Logic dictates that it must be foul play of some sort, unless his boots flew off and his phone went flying when he fell off a cliff, and someone just happened by and picked them up and randomly tossed them somewhere. There would be no reason for him to take off his boots (unless on drugs, see Mike Herdman elsewhere on Websleuths).

A lot of details and information from those that know him. Previous searches did not turn up his cowboy boots and then on Tuesday they were by the cliff which had already been searched. I am going to see if I can help search. I may just show up in the area where he last went missing and see if they are there searching.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/...volunteers-continue-search-for-big-island-man

Plumeria5 said:

A lot of details and information from those that know him. Previous searches did not turn up his cowboy boots and then on Tuesday they were by the cliff which had already been searched. I am going to see if I can help search. I may just show up in the area where he last went missing and see if they are there searching.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/...volunteers-continue-search-for-big-island-man

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No mention of what time of day on Sat he called saying his car was stuck. His friend mentions searching an area a mile and a half away on Sat and not seeing the boots. How far was the search area on Sat? Would that be a common place to search (1.5 mi away), even if it wasn't his property?

Can anyone ping a phone? I always thought it had to go through the phone company and LE had to do it but this says his friends did it.

Jeffrey Meek, 43

Clues found in search for missing Big Island business owner
Posted: Nov 12, 2014 1:24 AM CST Updated: Nov 12, 2014 4:11 AM CST

[...]

"None of it makes sense. He's physically fit, active. It's like somebody made him disappear," said his sister, Jennifer Booker, in a phone interview.

Family members said the plumbing contractor seemed to be happy and was working on plans to build a house on the newly-purchased property. Booker spoke to him on the phone right before he went missing.

"He talked about going to church on Sunday," she said. "He was just fine. Nothing unusual."

---

lucky181 said:

No mention of what time of day on Sat he called saying his car was stuck. His friend mentions searching an area a mile and a half away on Sat and not seeing the boots. How far was the search area on Sat? Would that be a common place to search (1.5 mi away), even if it wasn't his property?

Can anyone ping a phone? I always thought it had to go through the phone company and LE had to do it but this says his friends did it.

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Ok, so I took a drive to Pepeekeo Point. There was a tent set up along Sugar Mill Road just before the Point so I inquired there about a search. They were not involved with the search but did have a flyer up. The people there did direct me to where they were searching. I had to backtrack a bit and drove about a mile back on a very secluded road to the sign they told me about that said "Shore Access". It was a very overgrown one way path that I chose not to go down, especially alone. Jeffrey's property is beyond that path. I can tell you that if foul play happened back there, very doubtful anyone would see a thing. I went back to the tent and told them I decided not to drive back in there. They informed me the group searching had moved down the road I was on at the Point. The Point is beautiful. It is a gated community with many vacant oceanfront lots perfect for observing humpback whales and farther in there are houses but none in sight of the gate. Just inside the gate is a future home site with foundations left abandoned because of permit issues. Walking around this abandoned gigantic mass of foundations is a very well manicured path that leads to the ocean. It is there I found his friends gathered talking. They were the only ones searching. They said they had searched his property which is about a mile and half away and were at the spot where the boots were found. They said one boot was upright and the other wedged between some rocks nearby. In my post #5 is a picture of the boot on the grass. You can see how visible it is. Not hidden in any way. Why it was not found earlier is alarming and one theory is that it was placed there later. Lucky, you asked why they searched so far, one and a half miles from his property, at the Point. Good question. The truck was still parked on his property and if he walked to the Point he could have shortened the distance by crossing other property as the crow flies. Why not just park at the Point if he chose to end his life. If he walked that path to the ocean where his boots were found, while it is a drop off, it is not a sheer cliff. It is a fairly gentle slope leading right down to the water.
There was talk a dive team will be searching there. And, here are some of the theories. Most weight was put on #4.

1. Someone was not happy he had plans to build on that property. (But, there are many projects going up in the area so that seems unlikely.)

2. Meth heads roam around this area looking for money. (His truck was locked and nothing amiss.)

3. He left voluntarily or ended his life. (New baby coming, young son he adored. Plans to build.)

4. The consensus of those I talked to lean towards someone he knew (someone in particular), that had a grudge of some sort.

As we were walking towards our cars 2 policemen pulled up and asked what we were doing. The friends told them they were searching and upon sharing some of their thoughts who might have done this, the police seemed very interested and anxious to take the information.

The whole Kaumana Cave thing is most likely just to try to throw everyone off. Most feel it has nothing to do with this other than getting rid of evidence in an out of way place. No way he walked barefoot all the way to Kaumana Cave. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think Jeffrey will be found alive.

Thanks for all the info Plumeria. Did you see the news video on KHNL last night? They showed the two boots...one in the picture you mentioned and the other was wedged between some rocks. I could see missing the rock one when searching but the one in the open was very obvious. I also don't think this will have a good ending.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/category/6743/video

Here is a great photo of the path where the boots were found.

https://www.facebook.com/2348385298...4000/956751261006053/?type=1&relevant_count=1

It is a short distance up the path to the left.

Plumeria5 said:

Here is a great photo of the path where the boots were found.

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Here's a pic of the boot from the KHNL slideshow in the video link lucky181 posted:



Weblink to boot pic found either on Monday or Tuesday: http://m.hawaiinewsnow.com/hawaiinewsnow/db_330510/contentmedia.htm?contentguid=PgnBe2io&mediaIndex=3

It's very out in the open. We need to get some testimony from a searchparty member who can say for certain that they looked in that specific area prior to Monday, and that there was no boot. Who searched that spot? Evidence of the boots and cellphone being moved after Saturday morning is crucial to determining if this was an accident or foul play.

His phone went straight to voicemail for me all 8 times I called him on Saturday from 3:30PM - 9pm, once Monday at 5PM and three times Wednesday at 2PM. How could it be "pinged" on Tuesday? I want to know who pinged it at Kaumana caves and what that means.

Thank you forum members for your insightful commentary and investigating. Jeff always had my back, just like he would anyone's. I've seen him selflessly share all he could to help his friends, stretching resources for his own family thin, only to be stabbed in the back by those who owed him their gratitude. Please, Jeff, not again. Give us a clue.

Sincerely,
A dear friend.

BobbyK said:

Here's a pic of the boot from the KHNL slideshow in the video link lucky181 posted:

View attachment 63522

Weblink to boot pic found either on Monday or Tuesday: http://m.hawaiinewsnow.com/hawaiinewsnow/db_330510/contentmedia.htm?contentguid=PgnBe2io&mediaIndex=3

It's very out in the open. We need to get some testimony from a searchparty member who can say for certain that they looked in that specific area prior to Monday, and that there was no boot. Who searched that spot? Evidence of the boots and cellphone being moved after Saturday morning is crucial to determining if this was an accident or foul play.

His phone went straight to voicemail for me all 8 times I called him on Saturday from 3:30PM - 9pm, once Monday at 5PM and three times Wednesday at 2PM. How could it be "pinged" on Tuesday? I want to know who pinged it at Kaumana caves and what that means.

Thank you forum members for your insightful commentary and investigating. Jeff always had my back, just like he would anyone's. I've seen him selflessly share all he could to help his friends, stretching resources for his own family thin, only to be stabbed in the back by those who owed him their gratitude. Please, Jeff, not again. Give us a clue.

Sincerely,
A dear friend.

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So very sorry that your friend is missing. Prayers.... I can't answer your technical phone questions except that straight to voicemail usually means the phone is turned off and I'm pretty sure police would have to initiate a ping. I think the phone can ping even if it is turned off as long as the battery is intact. One of the pros on here will have to verify that. As far as confirming if the boots were there previously... VERY important to know. The whole scenario looks staged to me....

BobbyK said:

Here's a pic of the boot from the KHNL slideshow in the video link lucky181 posted:

View attachment 63522

Weblink to boot pic found either on Monday or Tuesday: http://m.hawaiinewsnow.com/hawaiinewsnow/db_330510/contentmedia.htm?contentguid=PgnBe2io&mediaIndex=3

It's very out in the open. We need to get some testimony from a searchparty member who can say for certain that they looked in that specific area prior to Monday, and that there was no boot. Who searched that spot? Evidence of the boots and cellphone being moved after Saturday morning is crucial to determining if this was an accident or foul play.

His phone went straight to voicemail for me all 8 times I called him on Saturday from 3:30PM - 9pm, once Monday at 5PM and three times Wednesday at 2PM. How could it be "pinged" on Tuesday? I want to know who pinged it at Kaumana caves and what that means.

Thank you forum members for your insightful commentary and investigating. Jeff always had my back, just like he would anyone's. I've seen him selflessly share all he could to help his friends, stretching resources for his own family thin, only to be stabbed in the back by those who owed him their gratitude. Please, Jeff, not again. Give us a clue.

Sincerely,
A dear friend.

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Aloha, Bobby! Thanks for joining our group! I am so sorry it is under these circumstances.

Yes, all these conflicting details need to get cleared up.

Regarding the boots, they were put there to be found in my opinion. If someone were suicidal then on that slope seems like an unlikely spot. There are far greater cliffs all around to jump from. This spot is also a very unlikely spot to murder someone. It is groomed and frequented by people wanting to access the shore, especially on the weekend. Here is what I think happened. I think someone confronted him at or near his property. They harmed him there and hid his body on land. Then, after the fact, panicked and decided they needed to make this look like an accident or suicide. They removed his boots and placed them at the Point.

I need to find the link but on HawaiiNewsNow.com there was an article that talked about the pings at Kaumana Cave but in the same breath an officer said there is nothing to suggest that Jeff doesn't still have his phone with him. Is he suggesting the pings at the cave are bogus...

When you ping a cell phone number, you locate the last tower that received a signal from a cell phone.
Since this process requires sensitive information about a cell phone tower, you can't ping a cell phone yourself. You must contact the provider of the cell phone you're looking for to ping the phone for you.
Every cell phone provider has a different policy regarding pinging. Some will offer information easily, and some will only give it to those with proper clearance, such as law enforcement.

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http://www.ehow.com/how_7292559_ping-cell-phone-number.html

Who said they pinged his phone? Articles make it sounds like a friend did it, not LE. Unless LE did the pinging, I'm skeptical about that info.

Searchers said that when they tried pinging his cell phone they tracked the location to Kaumana Caves which is about 15 miles away. They looked around the area on Tuesday morning, but did not find any clues.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/...-search-for-missing-big-island-business-owner

They've scoured a 20 acre parcel that his family recently purchased at Pepeekeo Point, as well as the coastline about half a mile away. He headed out to clear weeds and trees from the land on Saturday. He later called one of the workers at his plumbing company for help saying his truck was stuck in the mud.

"When he arrived the truck was there locked. Jeff was gone. Tools were in the truck and no Jeff," said his mother, Sandra Meek, who lives in Hacienda Heights, California.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/...-search-for-missing-big-island-business-owner


His truck was stuck and he called for help
Why would he do that if he was planning suicide or to run off?

Did someone just happen by or did someone know he would be at this location alone?
Did someone know he was unable to leave because of his truck being stuck?

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/clip/10849325/search-continues-for-missing-big-island-man
from HNN video:
His nephew received a text from JM at 9:18 AM stating: I'm walking some place to cools down
His nephew had received a call earlier that the truck was stuck in the mud.

Questions:
What exact time was the phone call about the truck in the mud? I'm assuming the nephew answered the call and actually spoke to JM.
What time did his nephew arrive at the truck?
How hot would it have been at 9AM? Why walk somewhere to cool down, temperature wise....or was it supposed to mean, cool down from being upset about something?

How was the nephew to find him if he was walking "someplace" ?

So JM called a worker telling him his truck was stuck

He called his nephew and said his truck was stuck

His nephew gets a text saying he was walking someplace

The worker arrives and the truck is locked


What am I missing?

The worker who came to get him... how long did it take? What was the conversation... pick me up in an hour?, come right away? I am walking someplace?

So few details


Edited to add... worker and nephew same person?

Dushi said:

How was the nephew to find him if he was walking "someplace" ?

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That's one of the things that makes no sense. And (per video) his nephew left, thinking JM had walked home (?) and would show up the next day (at church?) His nephew didn't seem too concerned that JM wasn't at the truck.

Just a note: the reporter interviewing JM's family has been doing local reports about the lava flow in Puna. Normally, there wouldn't be anyone sent from HNL to interview people in a missing case on the BI.