18-year-old Daylenn Pua, also known as “Moke,” vanished on February 27, 2015, while hiking on the dangerous Haiku Stairs trail in Hawaii. Pua had a reputation as an avid hiker. The last known sighting of him was when he boarded a bus in Waianae, Oahu.
Daylenn Pua in Waianae
Daylenn Pua, originally from the Big Island, was visiting his grandmother, Martha Bear, in Waianae when he expressed a desire to hike the Stairway to Heaven trail on the windward side of Oahu.
However, Bear told him that the trail was closed and authorities were not allowing anyone to climb the mountain. This information had been reported in the news.
Daylenn Pua Disappears
Early on February 27, 2015, Daylenn Pua departed from his grandmother’s residence in Waianae, Oahu, and took a bus, but he never came back. According to Martha, Pua had mentioned that he was going for a hike, but she didn’t think he planned to climb the Stairway to Heaven trail since she had already told him it was prohibited. She also cautioned him that attempting to climb the mountain could have legal repercussions.
Daylenn Pua sent messages containing photos from the Haiku Stairs trail to his family. According to the Honolulu police, the photos were sent around 11:00 AM.
However, Pua hasn’t been seen or heard from since. The family examined the pictures closely and noticed a barely visible man in the background of one of the images. They speculated that this unknown man might have been following Pua. Many questions remain unanswered.
Could the unidentified man be accountable for what happened to Daylenn Pua? Or did Pua meet with a fatal accident while traversing the treacherous trail? Alternatively, could there be another explanation for his disappearance on that fateful day?”
The Search For Missing Daylenn Pua
Efforts to find Daylenn Pua have been extensive, involving the fire department, local volunteers, drone operators, and even the U.S. Navy, who searched both on land and in the air.
On March 3, 2015, two hikers reported hearing calls for help, leading the fire department to extend their search until the following afternoon. However, the search was halted that afternoon, although Pua’s family and local volunteers continued searching the mountains for any sign of him, as reported by Hawaii News.
After Daylenn Pua went missing, his sister-in-law launched a Facebook group called “Search for Moke Pua” to keep in touch with and provide updates to those involved in the search for the young man.
The Stairway to Heaven
The Haiku Stairs is a steep, 3,922-step steel structure that was constructed to provide access to former U.S. Navy communication facilities on Oahu, Hawaii. The pathway spans the Ko’olau mountain range and offers panoramic views of Kaneohe and Kaneohe Bay.
The construction of Haiku Radio Station began in 1942, with contractors for the U.S. Navy working on the top-secret facility intended for transmitting radio signals to Navy ships in the Pacific. To attain the necessary height for the antennae, the Navy deployed them across the valley and built a wooden ladder, parts of which are still visible alongside the metal steps. The radio station was commissioned in 1943.
After the base was decommissioned in the 1950s, the U.S. Coast Guard repurposed the site for an Omega Navigation System station. The wooden stairs were replaced by sections of metal steps and ramps in the mid-1950s. The station and trail were officially closed to the public in 1987.
The state of the trail has been a topic of debate, as heavy rainfall and storms have caused damage to the stairs. Some individuals believe that the stairs should be demolished, while others contend that they should be fixed and made accessible to the public once again.
Credits: DailyStar