His FINAL Photo Shows Someone Watching – Then He vanished Forever

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for 50% off and three free gifts when you check out after you purchase it will ask you where you heard about them and please support our show and tell them our show sent you fan duel is now available everywhere in the u.s so you can get in on the sports action no matter where you are including these places make this your most rewarding season ever with fan duel age and location restrictions apply product availability varies by market see fan duel.com for eligibility gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER every town has a dark side there's a photograph out there of a teenage boy standing high on a mountain in hawaii at first glance it's gorgeous there's green ridge lines that roll off into the blue sky this is the sort of place people would cross an ocean for just to see for themselves but people have been staring at this one particular photo for more than 10 years now and it has nothing to do with the view it's because something is off to the side down in the brush half swallowed by leaves there's a shape you'd miss it if you weren't looking for it it's a head it's what sure looks like a man crouched low in the bushes on a trail that was supposed to be completely empty just sitting there watching or maybe waiting and the kid who took that picture he disappeared that very day and has never been found the guy in the photo well he's never been identified hey guys it's andrew and thanks for tuning in to every town where today we've got a genuinely unsettling case for you it's a vanishing with no body and one photograph that's haunted everyone who's ever looked closely at it so let's head on out to the island of oahu together and this is hawaii's most haunting unsolved disappearance the stairway to heaven so most missing persons cases turn the person into a poster you see a name a date a height and weight and of course a phone number to call in with any tips it doesn't take but a moment to see it and then forget that there's a whole life attached to it if that even crosses your mind in the first place and so before we get into the staircase and the photo and everything that went wrong well you should know who we're actually talking about dalen pua though pretty much everyone who knew him just called him moke was 18 years old and by every account a good kid he was from south kona down on the big island of hawaii a senior at a hawaiian immersion school and graduation it was right around the corner and he already knew what he wanted to do next culinary school and the kid wanted to be a pastry chef his family later said that he loved to bake and if you go back and look at the gofundme they put together well that detail sits there reminding you how innocent you can be at that age an 18 year old whose big dream was making desserts for people just to put a smile on their face a moke was outdoorsy he liked to swim and hike and he was into photography which is part of why we even have the pieces of this story that we do his social media was filled with photos of beach days friends all the normal happy things and moke wasn't some clueless tourist either who never set foot on a trail and it's worth knowing that his own dad described him as an experienced hiker so this was not a boy who didn't know how to handle himself in the mountains that weekend moke was over in oahu staying with his grandmother martha bear and somewhere in there a thought got into his head there's a hike on oahu the most famous most forbidden most flat-out illegal hike on the whole island and moke decided he was going to do it if you've never heard of the haiku stairs picture this almost 4 000 metal steps 3 922 of them to be exact bolted straight up the spine of the kalahu mountain range in oahu they climb more than 3 000 feet into the sky up ridgelines so narrow and steep that they can't even get to the top of the mountain they climb more than 3 000 feet into the sky up ridgelines so narrow and steep that they can't even get to the top of the mountain steep that in places it can feel less like climbing a staircase and more like climbing a ladder up into staircase and more like climbing a ladder up into the clouds the clouds the clouds when the weather is right you come out the when the weather is right you come out the when the weather is right you come out the top to a panoramic view of kanohi bay top to a panoramic view of kanohi bay top to a panoramic view of kanohi bay that genuinely does not look real that genuinely does not look real that genuinely does not look real and people call it the stairway to heaven and people call it the stairway to heaven and people call it the stairway to heaven and standing up there you understand why and standing up there you understand why and standing up there you understand why it has a bit of a dark side to it now these stairs were never built for now these stairs were never built for now these stairs were never built for hikers hikers hikers they went in back in the 1940s during they went in back in the 1940s during they went in back in the 1940s during world war ii put up by the u.s navy to world war ii put up by the u.s navy to world war ii put up by the u.s navy to reach a top secret radio station hidden reach a top secret radio station hidden reach a top secret radio station hidden in the haiku valley in the haiku valley in the haiku valley a transmitter so powerful it could a transmitter so powerful it could a transmitter so powerful it could supposedly send signals all the way supposedly send signals all the way supposedly send signals all the way across the pacific to ships near tokyo across the pacific to ships near tokyo across the pacific to ships near tokyo bay bay bay they were wooden steps at first later they were wooden steps at first later they were wooden steps at first later swapped for metal so they were a swapped for metal so they were a swapped for metal so they were a military access route not a tourist military access route not a tourist military access route not a tourist attraction never built for the public attraction never built for the public attraction never built for the public and over the decades as the base shut and over the decades as the base shut and over the decades as the base shut down and the jungle moved back in well down and the jungle moved back in well down and the jungle moved back in well those stairs stayed behind but started those stairs stayed behind but started those stairs stayed behind but started to rot to rot to rot by 1987 it was bad enough that the by 1987 it was bad enough that the by 1987 it was bad enough that the authorities shut the whole thing down authorities shut the whole thing down authorities shut the whole thing down closed to the public completely the closed to the public completely the closed to the public completely the railings were loose and whole sections railings were loose and whole sections railings were loose and whole sections of stair were rusted out and vegetation of stair were rusted out and vegetation of stair were rusted out and vegetation had crept over the path making it pretty had crept over the path making it pretty had crept over the path making it pretty dangerous dangerous dangerous i climb it and you're now not just i climb it and you're now not just i climb it and you're now not just risking your life you're committing risking your life you're committing criminal trespass and you can be arrested criminal trespass and you can be arrested criminal trespass and you can be arrested for it for it for it but you know there's a funny thing that but you know there's a funny thing that but you know there's a funny thing that happens when you tell people they can't happens when you tell people they can't happens when you tell people they can't do something especially something with a do something especially something with a do something especially something with a view like this at the end view like this at the end view like this at the end well they do it anyway well they do it anyway well they do it anyway and so for years people have ignored the and so for years people have ignored the and so for years people have ignored the signs and the warnings and climbed it signs and the warnings and climbed it signs and the warnings and climbed it and the mountain has made some of them and the mountain has made some of them and the mountain has made some of them pay pay pay even experienced hikers people who knew even experienced hikers people who knew even experienced hikers people who knew exactly what they were doing have exactly what they were doing have exactly what they were doing have slipped on those steps slipped on those steps slipped on those steps rescue crews have had to be called out rescue crews have had to be called out rescue crews have had to be called out for people stranded halfway up and in for people stranded halfway up and in for people stranded halfway up and in 2015 the same year that our story takes 2015 the same year that our story takes 2015 the same year that our story takes place place place a storm tore through and did even more a storm tore through and did even more a storm tore through and did even more damage leaving sections of the climb damage leaving sections of the climb damage leaving sections of the climb more unstable than ever more unstable than ever more unstable than ever now that's the staircase moke set his now that's the staircase moke set his now that's the staircase moke set his sights on sights on sights on not a walk in the park but a rusting half not a walk in the park but a rusting half not a walk in the park but a rusting half destroyed four thousand step climb up a destroyed four thousand step climb up a destroyed four thousand step climb up a cliff face cliff face cliff face closed illegal and already known for closed illegal and already known for closed illegal and already known for hurting the people who underestimated it hurting the people who underestimated it hurting the people who underestimated it his grandmother knew exactly what it was his grandmother knew exactly what it was his grandmother knew exactly what it was she'd seen it on the news she'd seen it on the news she'd seen it on the news when moke brought it up she told him when moke brought it up she told him when moke brought it up she told him flat out don't flat out don't flat out don't moke he went anyway on february 25 2015 moke posted a picture on february 25 2015 moke posted a picture on february 25 2015 moke posted a picture of the stairs to facebook of the stairs to facebook of the stairs to facebook the caption read stairway to heaven the caption read stairway to heaven the caption read stairway to heaven hiking this insane hike tomorrow wish me hiking this insane hike tomorrow wish me hiking this insane hike tomorrow wish me luck luck luck so he wasn't really sneaking around so he wasn't really sneaking around so he wasn't really sneaking around about it at least not online about it at least not online about it at least not online then on february 26 came what would turn then on february 26 came what would turn then on february 26 came what would turn out to be his final post on his out to be his final post on his out to be his final post on his account account account four words and a hashtag and the hike four words and a hashtag and the hike four words and a hashtag and the hike begins begins begins at haiku at haiku at haiku you know what nobody tells you about you know what nobody tells you about you know what nobody tells you about working for yourself it's that nobody working for yourself it's that nobody working for yourself it's that nobody sets up your health care for you sets up your health care for you sets up your health care for you there's no hr person handing you a packet there's no hr person handing you a packet there's no hr person handing you a packet no co-worker going oh yeah everybody no co-worker going oh yeah everybody no co-worker going oh yeah everybody here sees doctor so-and-so here sees doctor so-and-so here sees doctor so-and-so you're just out here on your own and one you're just out here on your own and one you're just out here on your own and one day it hits you that day it hits you that day it hits you that you don't actually have a doctor well you don't actually have a doctor well you don't actually have a doctor well that was me not too long ago and and this episode is sponsored by ZocDoc, which is honestly the only reason I finally dealt with it. 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By the early morning of Friday, February 27th, he was ready for his adventure. When Moak talked to his grandmother about his plans, the place he named wasn't the Haiku Stairs. He told her he was going to hike Mauna Loa Valley. Now those two things aren't unconnected. There's a back route through Mauna Loa Valley and up the trail that people use to get up there without going through the guarded residential entrance. And so it's likely Moak just told her the part of the plan that sounded less interesting to her. It sounded less alarming, but the fact remains. What he told his family and where he actually ended up don't exactly line up. And that gap is something the police themselves would later note. But whatever the exact route, this much we know. Moak boarded a bus that morning alone and headed for the mountains. At around 11 o'clock, he texted photos to his family and his girlfriend. Photos of himself up on the trail with the whole island spilling out behind him. It was proof that he made it out there and that he was alive and climbing and okay. And those texts, though, are the last anyone ever heard from him. After that, well, his phone goes silent and he's never seen or heard from again. By air and on foot, Kona Lolo Fire Rescue Crew searched all day along the collas behind Haiku Village for 18-year-old Dan. In the days right after Moak didn't come home, his family did what they could to aid in the search. They went back through everything he'd sent them, every text and photo looking for anything that could help in telling them where their boy had gone. They were trying to paint a clearer picture of his movements to figure out the best place to actually be looking. And in one of those last photos, they found something that was extremely creepy. Now, the picture itself is what you'd expect, smoke on the trail, the green walls of the valley surrounding him, but there in the background, tucked into the foliage off to the side is a figure. Now, most of this person is hidden behind the leaves and branches, but above the brush, clear enough that once you see it, you can't unsee it, is what looks unmistakably like a man's head. It's a person crouched low in the bushes on a closed and supposedly empty trail. In the exact place where Moak was last known to be alive. Now, remember, this is a hike nobody is supposed to be on. It's illegal and remote, and in the frame, without him apparently even noticing, well, somebody else is down there in the undergrowth nearby. Could it be another adventurer, just like Moak, out there to see the sights? Yeah, definitely could be. But given the circumstances of that death, and the fact that this person appears to be crouched, almost hiding from the camera, well, it's all a little suspicious. For the family, seeing that image didn't feel like a coincidence anymore. To them, this looked like someone who had followed their son up onto an empty mountain. In their minds, that man did something to Moak. So, they did everything right. They took the image straight to the Honolulu PD, then to the press in public, begging anyone who recognized the figure or who'd been on that trail that day to come forward. The police looked at it and put out a Crimestoppers alert. And they said that if that shape in the bushes was in fact a person, then that person would be considered someone of interest in the case, a.k.a. someone they'd like to chat with. But from that push, all they heard was crickets. Nobody came forward with any info and no one ever stepped up to them. Nobody ever stepped up to say, that's me. I was just taking a break in the bushes. Here's what I saw. The man in the photo, if it's a man at all, has never been identified to this day. Now, the authorities were never as convinced about this photo as the family was. They couldn't even confirm it was a human being. He was just so afraid. He was just so far away. And some who have studied it have suggested it could be an animal or just a trick of the brush in the shadows, the way your brain finds a face in a pattern that isn't really there. It certainly looks to me like a person, but there really is just no way to know for sure. And even if it is a man, well, being on that trail doesn't make him a killer, so to speak. And he could have been just another trespasser who never came forward because, well, he wasn't supposed to be a man. He wasn't supposed to be up there either. But what really makes this photo so hard to shake, as I mentioned, is the timing. Of all the pictures Moak ever took, this is one of the last, maybe the last. And in it, at the precise moment a healthy, experienced 18-year-old is about to disappear without leaving so much as a thread of clothing behind, well, there's a figure crouched in the bushes close by. And when Moak didn't come home, the U.S. Navy got involved because of the old military land. The Honolulu Fire Department launched into the Koloa Range and the steep valleys around it. And for about five days, they scoured that mountain, every inch of the valley where a person could fall and be hidden in seconds. And then on Monday, March 2nd, well, something happened that yanked everyone's hopes right back up. Two hikers in the area reported hearing cries for help, voices, coming from somewhere near the stairway to heaven. And you can imagine what that did. If Moak was alive, hurt, stranded, stuck on a ledge somewhere down in that valley, then it was still time. And the fire department pushed the search harder, extending it on the strength of those cries. They went out there and listened. They looked and combed the area the sound seemed to come from. And they found no Moak or source for the voice at all. By around March 4th, the official search was called off. And the Navy, working with the fire department, made the call that there was simply nowhere left they could safely reach that they hadn't already tried. For the agencies, it was over. But for the people who loved Moak, it wasn't. His family and a crew of volunteers refused to walk away. And on March 5th, a team of people repelled hundreds of feet straight down the cliff. Right down the cliffs at the end of the Kalanahani Trail. And why there? Well, because that was the spot. That was the area where Moak's last photo had been taken. They went down into the one place they thought might hold an answer, dangling off a sheer rock face in the rain. And still, they found nothing. It's been really hard on our family. But Keith, you know you got all the love and the support from your family. From here in Oahu, all over the world, and back home. So come home, Moakie. We are waiting for you. The whole island, it seemed, tried to help. And helicopter pilots donated their time. A local school principal offered up a parking lot as a landing pad so they had somewhere to set down. It rained hard most days up in those mountains. And that rain didn't just make the cliffs more dangerous. It erased things. Any tracks or scent that was there, well, that was washed away. And so, whatever trail Moak might have left just disappeared. In the end, after all of it, the Navy, the fire department, those helicopters, the repelling volunteers, the grieving father shouting into the wind, well, they came away with the same thing they started with. Not one confirmed trace of Dalen Moak Pua has ever been found from that day to this one. ♪ ♪ With no trace or remains, plus the picture of the man in the bushes, this case has had more than ten years to grow theories, and they basically split into two camps. The first, and the one authorities leaned toward, is the simplest and the saddest. Moak slipped and fell. I know after everything I just told you, he fell feels a bit too basic, but you have to remember what this place actually is. It's a mountain, ridgelines, a 4,000-step staircase, with drops on both sides that go down hundreds of feet into thick jungle. A landslide had hit the area not long before, stranding hikers who had to be rescued. Even during the search for Moak, the rescuers themselves reported slipping and falling on that terrain. The trails are very slippery, the cliffs are very steep. We want to limit how many people go up there. If they're untrained and they don't know what they're doing, their goodwill could end up turning into more of a disaster and more heartache if they don't know what they're doing. But the pros are losing their footing while actively being careful. And an 18-year-old moving alone, full of confidence, all it takes is one bad step. The valley below is deep enough and dense enough to hide a person completely. Which actually answers the question everybody asks. If he fell, why didn't they find a body? Well, because that ground is brutal. It's steep, overgrown, and soaked. And there's an even darker possibility folded into this one. Well, the same instability that might have caused the fall could have finished the job. Another slide. A wall of mud and rock and vegetation coming down and burying whatever was beneath it under tons of earth. If that's what happened, Moke would be up there right now, somewhere on that mountain, in a place no search team, no matter how long they looked, would ever find. But then, there's the second camp. And the second camp keeps coming back to that image. Moke's family has never accepted the accident situation. And they believe fully. Their son was attacked. And that someone, perhaps on the same bus as him, just saw him alone and decided they were going to do something to him. And we all know there's bad people out there. That's just a fact. And if someone did anything to him, well, the same concept as mentioned above applies as well. Up there, around the stairway to heaven, well, there's a lot of places a person could deliberately hide or bury a body, and it would never be found. The trouble is, no matter what you think happened, belief is not evidence. So, everyone's left holding both at once. The likeliest answer is the mountain. The most unsettling answer is the man. And there is no way, right now, to know which one is true. As time goes on, finding the real answer, well, that becomes less and less likely. And so, that's where this case stands now. For years, the city has been trying to figure out what to do about the haiku stairs. And people kept climbing them illegally, and people kept getting hurt. And the neighbors at the bottom were sick of the trespassers. And in 2021, the city council finally voted to do the unthinkable. We'll tear the whole thing down. They wanted to remove the stairway to heaven completely. And they wanted to remove the stairway to heaven completely. Step-by-step and demolition work eventually began in 2024. Now, standing in the way is a group called the Friends of Haiku Stairs, volunteers who have fought to save it. They sued the city, pointing to the environmental damage of ripping out the structure, the cost, and the danger of forcing hikers who were going to go anyway onto the even sketchier back way instead. That's a serious endeavor, and the city has not even begun to grapple with the challenges, let alone. cost out all the expenses. So we want them to slow down and really grapple with that and provide the taxpayers answers before we rush, move forward. Their pitch is managed access. Repair the stairs, fund it privately, put it under 24-7 surveillance, and let people climb it safely and legally. But think about what all that means for Moak. If the stairs do come down, crews are going to be working that mountainside into the city. They're going to be working that mountainside into the city.