Daylenn “Moke” Pua | The Haiku Stairs Disappearance | Hawaii Missing Hiker Mystery | Revisited: 052

In late February 2015, Daylenn “Moke” Pua told family members he planned to hike the Haiku Stairs on Oahu, also known as the Stairway to Heaven. He was still a teenager, a senior from Hawaii Island, a student at Ke Kula ʻo ʻEhunuikaimalino, an aspiring pastry chef, a grandson, a brother, and Moke to the people who loved him. This revisited episode of Beneath the Palms rebuilds Daylenn’s story with more care, more humanity, and stronger source context. Using verified reporting, official search updates, family statements, and community source material, we follow the known timeline of his disappearance, the images he shared during the hike, the later appeal to identify a man seen in one photo, and the search that stretched across the Haiku Stairs, the Koolau ridgeline, steep valleys, and difficult terrain near Kaneohe. Honolulu Police, Honolulu Fire, Navy searchers, family members, classmates, volunteers, and off-duty military personnel all became part of the effort to find him. Official searchers focused on dangerous ridges, drop zones, and areas tied to his last known picture and later phone data referenced during the search. After official efforts slowed, his ʻohana and community kept going with private helicopters, drones, food, fundraising, and hope. This episode separates record from rumor. Online theories exist, but no theory became an official finding. What remains is the documented story of a young man with a life already unfolding, a family still waiting, and a mountain that has never given back the answer. Listener discretion advised: this episode discusses an unresolved missing-person case, wilderness risk, dangerous terrain, and the possibility of a fatal accident. Sources: Hawaii News Now - HFD suspends search for missing hiker https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/28244607/hfd-suspends-search-for-missing-hiker/ Hawaii News Now - Family of missing Big Island hiker asking for public's help to identify man in photo https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/28401461/family-of-missing-big-island-hiker-asking-for-publics-help-to-identify-man-in-photo/ Honolulu Star-Advertiser - Hiker’s solo trek generates 2 days of fruitless searching https://www.newspapers.com/image/266354472/ West Hawaii Today - Family, classmates hang onto hope for missing youth https://www.newspapers.com/image/825178228/ West Hawaii Today - Family, classmates hang onto hope for missing youth, continued https://www.newspapers.com/image/825178247/ West Hawaii Today - Teen’s family vows to keep up search https://www.newspapers.com/image/825180228/ GoFundMe - Aloha no Moke Pua https://www.gofundme.com/f/ns2oj4 The Charley Project - Daylenn Moke Pua https://charleyproject.org/case/daylenn-moke-pua SFGATE - The mysterious disappearance of a Hawaii hiker https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/missing-hawaii-hiker-daylenn-pua-19805857.php KITV4 Island News - Search suspended for missing Haiku stairs hiker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBYpM3CH0sQ Civil Beat - Stairway to Heaven Could Be Removed By 2022 https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/06/stairway-to-heaven-could-be-removed-by-2022/ Civil Beat - Dismantling Haʻikū Stairs Is Urgent Safety Issue, City Says In Court Filing https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/02/dismantling-ha%CA%BBiku-stairs-is-urgent-safety-issue-city-says-in-court-filing/ #DaylennPua #HaikuStairs #StairwayToHeaven #HawaiiMissingPersons #MissingHiker #UnsolvedHawaii #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms