[0:00]He traveled to an illegal hiking trail in Hawaii and was never seen again. But did he unknowingly capture a photo of his killer, moments before his death? Hi there, welcome back to Coffee House Crime and welcome to my first Espresso case. Espresso cases are an addition to my weekly cases and are reserved to ones that don't hold quite enough information to make them a full story. So with time against us, let us begin. Here is the unsolved story of Daylenn Makeuapo.
[0:41]Daylenn Makeuapo was a young man from Big Island, Hawaii, and he was visiting family in Oahu for a day's hike. The island, more famously known for its capital Honolulu and war-famous Pearl Harbor, is home to a population of roughly 995,000 inhabitants. And although a small island, Oahu has a considerably higher national average crime rate than all other communities in America. This is particularly high in the corner of the island, strongest in the region of Hue Place and Kalihi Street. And right in this area, lies the steps to the Stairway to Heaven. The Stairway to Heaven, also known as the Haiku Stairs, is a several mile hike through steep mountain jungle terrain. It was built in 1942 during World War II, as a way for soldiers to build and access the radio antenna which sits at the top of the valley. This tower was used to transmit radio signals to Navy ships operating throughout the Pacific. However, its use after World War II declined, and by 1987, the trail was officially banned for use to the public. And although the stairs were repaired in 2003, costing the city over $875,000, the trail remained closed following dozens of deaths in the area, some of which are still unexplained to this day. Those who ignore the signs can still be charged with criminal trespass. But despite this, people still hike the trail on a near daily basis. Security guards protect its entrance from as early as 4:00 a.m. However, it being a rural trail makes it almost impossible to guard all ways of getting in. And back to Daylenn Pua, he wanted to hike these trails. Daylenn was a senior at Ke Kula 'o Ehunuikaimalino, a Hawaiian immersion school in Kealakekua. Props to me for pronouncing that right. Daylenn was a typical teenage guy, brave, boisterous, confident, and on the 27th of February 2015, he was feeling all three of them. He stayed with his grandmother on Oahu Island over the weekend with plans to catch up with her on the Friday and then go for a solo hike at Moanalua Valley Park, taking the Stairway to Heaven. In the early hours of the morning, Pua left his grandmother's house by foot. He then took a bus to Kaneohe, where he tried to find the entrance to the forest. His hike started off fine. He managed to avoid security guards and found his way into the forest onto the perimeter of the Stairway to Heaven. He took one final picture just after 11:00 a.m., snapping this image of the trail. After that though, Daylenn's phone fell silent. He never followed up to any of the messages his family had sent back to him. It could be bad reception though, no worries they thought, I'll get back to us later. As the sunset and the evening came, Daylenn's grandmother, who had made dinner for him, eagerly awaited for his return. But he never showed up. She tried to call his mobile, though it skipped straight through to voicemail. She recalled Daylenn telling her about the Stairway to Heaven the night before. She told him not to go, it's too dangerous, and if you are caught, you can face heavy fines. But maybe he didn't listen to her. She called the police that evening, and the next morning, they started a search and rescue operation for Daylenn Pua. do all they can to stay optimistic at Kaneohe District Park, but their focus is up at the Kualoa and time's working against them. Daylenn's family started to worry. It wasn't like him to just vanish without saying a word. And soon, their fears would grow even stronger. After his disappearance, police and relatives extensively studied pictures that he had sent his family shortly before disappearing. Maybe they could provide his roots or offer extra information about the conditions on that day. And while doing this, there, lurking in the background, they saw a man, barely visible in the bushland. Despite numerous attempts to engage with the public, the man in this photo was never identified. Was he involved in Daylenn's disappearance? True, he could have just been a passerby, but even then, he could hold critical information on the direction Daylenn went in or conditions. His involvement in Daylenn's disappearance isn't a far stretch from the imagination either. Crime rate in this area is the most prolific in the island after all, and the place was illegal for public use. Did Daylenn come across something he shouldn't have seen? On Monday, the 2nd, three days after Daylenn disappeared, several hikers in the local area heard screams for help.
[5:46]They were so shocked by these shrill screams that they called the police immediately. One of the hikers posted their thoughts on Reddit just two days later. They said, I could never explain to you the feeling I felt when you hear a cry like that. The hiker did not just pass and go up the stairs. By the looks of the photographs, he didn't even make it to the stairs. We started the hike on a trail about 20 feet from the Kulana'ahane trail. We had hiked about three hours up. We were yelling to each other to make sure the others were okay because we were so far apart. The wind died down for just a half a second and we hear a scream "help me!" It shook me up so bad that I had to sit down to even call 911. My friends were about 50 yards in front of me and little did I know, they were also calling 911. All 5 of us heard it at the same time. If we were going straight at the trail, the voice was coming from the left. It was coming from down below. It did not seem as if it was echoing, nor did it seem very far away. Again, the wind died just a tad and we heard "I'm down here!" My friend and I both stopped in our tracks and started screaming for him. We stayed up there for about another hour without moving to try and listen for him again. The wind was so bad and the clouds were starting to roll in so it was hard to hear anything. Their reports and efforts, however, led to nothing. The search and rescue operation was called off the next day. And although Daylenn's relatives and local volunteers continued to comb the area, no screams were ever heard again either. This is where the case ends. Nothing more ever came from their search and rescue operation. Daylenn Pua's case has now turned cold, and he's presumed to have gotten lost and died during his hike on the trail. Both his body and his belongings have never been found. And it is now almost five years since Daylenn Pua's disappearance. His family and friends have pretty much accepted that he is most likely dead, whether by accident or at the hands of somebody else, we may never know. The future of the Stairway to Heaven is also unknown. Oahu's Board of Water Supply, who currently own the steps, have said that they will demolish the trail, unless the council takes over ownership of the stairs. They no longer want to be held responsible for what goes on there. The council is set to take ownership and may eventually make it a public walkway. So maybe one day someone will find Daylenn up there. Until then though, this case will remain cold.
[8:25]Hi there, and thank you so much for watching this espresso case. If you enjoyed the video, then please like and subscribe to Coffeehouse Crime. I create both weekly, solved and unsolved crimes and mysteries on this channel. What do you think happened to Daylenn Pua? Do you think that the man in the photo was involved in his disappearance or do you think this was just an accident? Please let me know in the comments below and I'll get back to you. Thank you once again, folks, and I'll see you in the next one. Take care of each other. Goodbye.
