Richard “Kalani” Vierra Jr.: The Waianae Teen Who Vanished After Saying “I’m Coming Down” | Revisited: 055

Richard “Kalani” Vierra Jr., 15, vanished from Waianae, Oahu on July 5, 2014 after leaving for a solo morning hike in the Kamaileuna, also reported as Kamaileunu, Ridge area near his home. He was an 11th-grader at Kamaile Academy Public Charter School, a Boy Scout, a church kid, a jiu-jitsu student, and Dolly Vierra’s only child. Early that Saturday morning, Kalani left home around 6:30 a.m. for a hike in the mountain country above Waianae. At 11:28 a.m., his mother reached him by phone. He sounded fine. He told her, “I’m coming down.” When she called again at 12:15 p.m., the call went to voicemail. He has not been confirmed seen or heard from since. This revisited episode of Beneath the Palms follows the verified timeline of Kalani’s disappearance, the early search response, the phone ping near Pokai Bay, the search by firefighters, police, family, friends, and volunteers, and the long-term pain of an unresolved missing juvenile case that remains active in official missing-person listings. Kalani was not just a missing teen hiker. He was a son, a student, an athlete, and a young man with a future people could still see in him. This episode keeps the confirmed record separate from speculation and carefully examines the unanswered possibilities: accident, exposure, route error, phone ping confusion, voluntary disappearance, reported sightings that did not pan out, and the lack of confirmed public evidence pointing to a suspect or abduction. If you have information about Richard “Kalani” Vierra Jr.’s disappearance, contact Honolulu police or CrimeStoppers Honolulu. One small, verifiable detail can still matter. Sources: Missing Person / NamUs #MP35230: Richard Kalani Vierra CrimeStoppers Honolulu Missing Persons: Richard “Kalani” Vierra Rescue crews search for missing teen hiker in Waianae Volunteers continue the search for a missing teenager Disappearance of Waianae teen still a mystery Waianae hiker’s family and friends anxiously wait for his return Honolulu Star-Advertiser archival coverage via Newspapers.com: July 7, July 8, July 9, and October 1, 2014 West Hawaii Today archival report via Newspapers.com: July 8, 2014 808 Gracie Fighter missing-poster material provided during episode research. Music: Mahalo to Yoza for “Broken Wings.” #RichardKalaniVierra #KalaniVierra #RichardVierraJr #MissingInHawaii #MissingPerson #MissingTeen #Waianae #Oahu #HawaiiMissing #KamaileunuRidge #KamaileunaRidge #HawaiiHiking #UnsolvedDisappearance #MissingJuvenile #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms