College student vanishes on Hawaii camping trip as Nebraska family holds out hope

Summer Lin
·2 min read
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Hawaii police said the search continues for a Nebraska college student who went missing after a camping trip.

Samuel Martinez, 23, of Nebraska, flew to Kauai on May 12 to camp and hike on the island, Kauai police said in a Facebook post. Martinez was expected to return to Nebraska on May 25 but didn’t make his flight, police said.

A missing person case was filed to the Lincoln (Nebraska) Police Department, which contacted Kauai police. Flight and safe travel records show that Martinez landed on the island May 12, was screened at Lihue Airport and had booked eight permits at campsites in different locations, including the Kalalau Trail and Kōkeʻe State Park, according to authorities.

Martinez’s father, Ted Martinez, said the last time his family heard from his son was after he landed in Kauai and went to a grocery store 20 miles from the airport, the Fremont Tribune reported. Martinez is a senior microbiology student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The family is staying hopeful, according to the publication.

“It’s just as likely that he’s helping rescue somebody right now to get them out of harm’s way, as it is as that he’s lost or he’s hurt,” Ted Martinez said. “That’s who Samuel is.”

Police said Tuesday that the Kauai Fire Department, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Kauai Civil Air Patrol and Kauai Search and Rescue looked for Martinez on Monday. The aerial search has been suspended but volunteers will continue to search the ground, according to police.

The last ping from Martinez’s cell phone was around 8:20 p.m. on May 12 near Waimea and Kōkeʻe state parks, authorities said.

“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. “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 around 6 feet tall, weighs around 180 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes.