Searchers on land and in the air continued over the weekend to look for a college student who went missing while on a trip to Hawaii.
Samuel Joseph Martinez, a 23-year-old senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was reported missing after he did not arrive back home on May 25 as expected.
According to police in Kauai, Martinez arrived on May 12 and had a number of permits to camp around the island. Martinez's father, Ted Martinez, told the Lincoln Journal Star they last heard from him shortly after he landed; he told his family he got a ride to a grocery store and was planning on heading to his mountain campsite afterward.
Investigators say they tracked Martinez's last cell phone pings to near Waimea Canyon Drive on May 12 at 8:20 p.m.
"According to a preliminary report, flight records and safe travel records indicate that Martinez did indeed land on Kauaʿi on May 12 and was screened for entry onto the island at the Līhuʿe Airport," the Kauai Police Department wrote on Facebook. "Further investigation revealed that Martinez acquired eight separate permits to camp at different locations around the island, including Kōkeʿe State Park and the Kalalau Trail."
After Martinez failed to arrive for his connecting flight home at LAX Tuesday, his family filed a missing persons report. Repeated attempts to get in touch with him have failed, although his family told local media they hope he is just out of cell range.
Over the weekend, the Kauai police and fire departments, search and rescue teams, officers from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Kauai Civil Air Patrol combed the island for any sign of Martinez. Officers on ATVs drove the length of the Waimea Valley, stopping to ask campers and hunters if they had seen the man.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t found any sign of Mr. Martinez throughout our searches. We also haven’t encountered anyone who has accurately identified him and his whereabouts,” Investigative Services Bureau Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce said in a statement. “At this point, there are several possibilities that could have taken place, especially on an island with dangerous terrain in places like Waimea Canyon and Kōke‘e State Park trails, but we are still hoping for the best.”
Martinez is 6 feet tall, 180 pounds and has brown hair and eyes. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact the Kauai Police Department at 808-241-1711.