Samuel Martinez Missing on Kauai: Nebraska Student Vanishes After Solo Hiking Trip | Revisited: 054

Samuel Joseph Martinez was 23 years old when he flew from Nebraska to Kauai for a solo hiking and camping trip in May 2021. He was a University of Nebraska-Lincoln microbiology student, a son, a brother, and a young man who came to the island to read, think, and explore. This revisited episode of Beneath the Palms follows Samuel’s disappearance after arriving on Kauai on May 12, 2021, his last known contact with family, his camping permits connected to areas including Kokee State Park and the Kalalau Trail, and the search that followed after he missed his May 25 flight home. The episode looks at the verified timeline: phone pings near Waimea Canyon Drive and the Kokee/Waimea area, a reported early sighting, search teams working by air and ground, volunteers speaking with hikers, campers, and hunters, and the later discovery of a backpack believed to belong to Samuel. Facts first. Samuel first. Always. Any online theories, public chatter, or speculation are kept clearly separate from the verified record. This story is not treated as a puzzle. It is the story of a young man still deeply loved by his family, and a disappearance that remains unresolved in the public record. If you have information connected to Samuel Martinez’s disappearance on Kauai in May 2021, contact Kauai Police dispatch at 808-241-1711. Anonymous tips may also be reported to Crime Stoppers Kauai at 808-246-8300 or cskauai.org. Mahalo to Yoza for the song “Broken Wings.” Sources: Hawaii search still on for missing Nebraska hiker — Associated Press https://apnews.com/article/ne-state-wire-nebraska-hawaii-56625c6a88994b059b978e9e940b2731 Search for Nebraska man who went missing in Hawaii back on following discovery of new evidence — 3NewsNow / KMTV https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/search-for-nebraska-man-who-went-missing-in-hawaii-back-on-following-discovery-of-new-evidence Months after hiker from Nebraska disappeared on Kauai, new evidence is found — Hawaii News Now https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/10/16/months-after-hiker-nebraska-disappeared-kauai-new-evidence-is-found/ Search continues for missing UNL student Samuel Martinez — 3NewsNow / KMTV https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/search-continues-in-hawaii-for-missing-unl-student-samuel-martinez Kauaʻi police seek help with finding missing Nebraska man — 3NewsNow / KMTV https://www.3newsnow.com/news/kaua%CA%BFi-police-seek-help-with-finding-missing-nebraska-man Family of missing UNL student says keep him ‘in your prayers’ — KLKN https://www.klkntv.com/family-of-missing-unl-student-says-keep-him-in-your-prayers/ Help us find Samuel Martinez and bring him home! — GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bring-samuel-martinez-home Samuel Martinez Missing Nebraska Man Kauai HI — public Facebook missing-person page https://www.facebook.com/p/Samuel-Martinez-Missing-Nebraska-Man-Kauai-HI-100069079296466/ Crime Stoppers Kauai https://www.cskauai.org #SamuelMartinez #MissingOnKauai #KauaiMissing #MissingPerson #MissingHiker #Kokee #Waimea #KalalauTrail #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms #TrueCrimePodcast #UnsolvedMystery #MissingPersons #Nebraska #Kauai #HawaiiMissing