Tourist found a day later after reported missing in Kōke‘e Monday night

A 60-year-old male visitor of Connecticut was found safe Tuesday morning after he was reported missing in Kōke‘e the previous night.

According to a preliminary report, the man visited the Pu‘u O Kila lookout in Kōke‘e State Park to watch the sunset with his daughter shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

Soon after, the two got separated and the man was last seen walking towards the Pihea Trail. After searching for him when he did not return, his daughter called police Monday night to report him missing.

Kaua‘i police and firefighters from the Waimea fire station responded to the call, but after conducting a ground search they did not locate the man. Due to the weather conditions and darkness, responders suspended their search Monday night, with plans to resume the next day.

The search for the missing male visitor resumed early Tuesday morning with resources from the Kaua‘i Police Department, Kaua‘i Fire Department, Air 1, Department of Land and Natural Resources-DOCARE, and volunteers with Kaua‘i Search and Rescue, a non-profit organization.

At approximately 10:40 a.m., firefighters found the missing visitor safe in the vicinity of the Alakai Swamp trail. The man did not report any injuries, and firefighters were able to help walk him back to the trailhead. Due to his underlying health conditions, the man was assessed and treated by AMR medics and was transported to Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital where he was later released.

“We thank all agencies involved for the quick response and successful recovery of this missing person,” said Kennison Nagahisa, Acting Captain of KPD’s Investigative Services Bureau. “We would also like to remind the public that it is very easy to get lost on trails, and to be vigilant when hiking during evening hours.”