HI HI - Amanda Eller, 35, Trail near Makawao, Maui, 8 May 2019

That is definitely concerning. Very interested to know the details of the sports bra they found.

"Amanda Eller is described as 5 feet, 8 inches, 145 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white tank top, light-blue or green sports bra and dark blue capri yoga pants."

 

Wow, that is amazing!

 

The police said they investigated the areas around the car (and inside) for any sign of scuffle or struggle, and there was none.
Being that a it’s a 2015 Toyota key, which would be an electronic fob, and not an older style metal key, I can’t imagine the owner of such a newer vehicle pressing the fob into dirt.

Setting it on dirt with no pressure is bad enough for the key.

 

That label got my attention, but I’m not concerned at all that it’s the bra in the video. Everybody knows what hers looks like. Anyone making map entries knows. Imagine how many people asked already. It would be a stop the presses moment to find any piece of her clothing.

If they didn’t publicize it in a big way, then it’s just “a” piece of women’s apparel. Could that be of interest to maybe some other incident, sure.

 

I agree!

I think the travelability data given by the West Coast company that helps prioritize search areas based on terrain, past search stats, what is known about Amanda and the likelihood of where she might be based on what is known about her previous hiking adventures in the area is interesting.

So many forces of expertise volunteering their time and services, coming together nation wide to help find Amanda.

It is great to see.

MOO

 

Maybe! did they find the white tank top and dark blue yoga pants at her house? She lived right in the area of the P.O. and store and could have run home and put on hiking clothes. I would have. Not that it makes a difference, she's still missing.

 

Well, I have to point out that the people online who have actually hiked with her, those who have posted, all say it was not her common practice to be loose with her valuables, phone, or keys.

The first person the police discussed it with would have been BF, who says he went there with her one time, not recently. Then SH who had barely met her, much less hiked with her regularly. Maybe people have contacted MPD since then, but I think it’s more likely that the MPD assessed Amanda’s habits based on assurance from BF and SH. I’m not saying they were not truthful, but neither were they the most frequent trail companions for Amanda.

 

Also, I wonder if a person "offers" to take a polygraph, he/she can control the timing, perhaps take meds since the person offers to have it administered at a certain time. Not sure if it would pass muster with LE but just a thought. I like your theory better, tho.

 

both theories seem good. Although I believe they cannot announce a person passed a poly if that is false. POI status can change at any time regardless.

Polygraphs are not admissible in court either to clear oneself or towards guilt.

I assume that a super guilty looking poly result is a red flag to police to investigate more. However, they also take note of an interviewee body language, demeanor, responses. (This was testified to in detail by the lead detective in the Charli Scott homicide trial.). The polygraph is taken by a trained tech, whereas the interview would be conducted by detective in charge (usually), using all the observation skills honed by long experience. And the detective does not publicly announce if anything made him or her go hmmm, nor is required to tell the interviewee. Only to decide whether to charge or release.

 

Funny, I asked a personal banker once if they could see my checking account activity and he said yes. I didn't like it, but I thought that's the way banks operated. Am I or this person wrong?

 

Maybe it was for one of the other missing-not-yet-found persons. It is, indeed, odd. It could be completely innocent, but I'd like to know more about this, if possible. Just odd.

 

If the bank employee has a need to look at a customer's account, it is allowed. The employee cannot look at an account out of idle curiosity or just to see how much the customer deposits, or to whom checks or POS txns are directed.
The employee can look at an account at the customer's request; and other situations may make it necessary for an employee to look at the account -- if suspicious activity is suspected either against the customer or by the customer, a trained employee may monitor it for safety's sake. It could be that the account was flagged for unusual activity -- unusually large debits against the account, etc., etc. There is a fiduciary responsibility involved here. Bank security programs can track who looks at what account, so the employee's activity is traceable. The bank employee can be fired for misusing that confidential privilege -- make no mistake about that.

 

I have come across many items while hiking; sunglasses, hats, phone, socks, water bottles, trekking poles, watches, etc. If I’m heading out and reasonably close I will leave items at the trailhead, especially if there’s a sign in register.

I think some people while going through their packs accidentally leave items after pulling others out.

 

Good list -- if it were my list, I would also have to add to let someone know where I plan to hike, especially if I am going to be hiking alone -- which I would probably never do.
But that's just me.

 

About the sports bra -- finding one in an area like that is a bit odd, but not over-the-moon odd. Two hikers may have gotten a bit romantically inclined; a strap or hook broke, making the bra useless; the runner just could not stand wearing that bra one more minute, so she just took the damm thing off (that could be me!)
But it could be a game-changer...
And one more thought --

Welcome to Websleuths,
erk !!​

 

Many seasoned hikers and mountaineers all over the world have disappeared, been found deceased some time later or never at all. Familiarity and expertise do not negate that accidents can and do happen.

 

The Credit Union I worked for in IT did not have that employee tracking capability.

 

Most likely for trail maintenance

 

They would have announced if they found those clothes. It is important, in that they put out a description of what to look for, so they want that to be accurate about clothing if possible.
They asked BF about what her irking shoes would look like, with the slippahs f

of course accidents can happen. I’m talking about ignorance about where it’s smart to step or go pee, in Hawaiian forest, it’s not that hard to learn. However, I could have an accident walking off my own porch if I’m not paying attention, or other reasons —just not because I don’t get how stairs work.