Key facts
- Name: Daylenn Moke Pua
- Born: circa 1997, Hawaii
- Age at disappearance: 18
- Last seen: February 26–27, 2015
- Location: Haiku Stairs (“Stairway to Heaven”), Moanalua Valley side, Oahu, Hawaii
- Height / build: 5’7″, 150 lbs; black hair, brown eyes; white long-sleeve t-shirt, black surf shorts, slippers, red backpack
- Status: Still missing — Honolulu Police Department; presumed lost on the trail; body never recovered
- Investigating agency: Honolulu Police Department
The stairs you’re not supposed to climb
The Haiku Stairs — the “Stairway to Heaven” — climb 3,922 steps up the Ko’olau mountain range on Oahu. They were built by the military, closed to the public in 1987, and by 2015 they were Oahu’s most famous forbidden hike: illegal, dangerous, irresistible. In 2024, the city finally began removing them.
On February 26, 2015, 18-year-old Daylenn Pua decided to climb them.
Daylenn was a senior at Ke Kula ‘O Ehunuikaimalino, a Hawaiian-immersion school in Kealakekua on the Big Island. He was on Oahu for a school field trip, staying with his grandmother, and he wanted to be a pastry chef. His grandmother warned him not to attempt the Stairs. He posted online asking his followers to wish him luck — and went anyway, approaching from the Moanalua Valley side.
At about 11:00 a.m., he sent selfies from the trail. In one of them, sharp-eyed viewers later spotted something: a shadowy figure in the background — the “shadow man” of the Haiku Stairs, as internet lore would name him. Whether it was a person, a trick of light, or nothing at all has never been determined.
Then the other reports came. Hikers on the mountain described hearing a cry for help. A Reddit user writing as ‘Dclandry’ described hearing screams from the ridge. Daylenn’s father was flown over the valley in a helicopter, shouting his son’s name into the wind.
Daylenn never came down.
The search
The search for Daylenn Pua was massive and desperate — helicopters, ground teams, the whole machinery of a missing hiker on a near-vertical mountain. On March 3, 2015, less than a week after he set out, the search was called off. He was presumed lost on the mountain, presumed to have perished there. His body was never found.
The Haiku Stairs kept their reputation. Hikers kept climbing illegally. People kept getting hurt. In 2024, nearly a decade after Daylenn vanished, Honolulu finally began dismantling the stairs — removing, step by step, the thing that had taken him.
Daylenn would be about 29 years old today. His case endures online — LADbible, StrangeOutdoors, Coffeehouse Crime, and a constellation of YouTube investigators have all told his story — because it has the elements the internet can’t let go: the forbidden stairs, the selfies, the shadow man in the photograph, the screams on the ridge. But underneath the lore is a simple, permanent fact: an 18-year-old who wanted to be a pastry chef climbed a mountain he was told not to climb, and his family never got him back.
Theories: what might have happened
He fell. The theory the search authorities worked from, and the most probable: the Haiku Stairs are steep, wet, crumbling in places, and 3,922 steps long. A fall into the dense, near-vertical vegetation of the Ko’olau range could easily hide a body permanently — which is consistent with the most painful fact of the case: the most exhaustive search found nothing.
He got lost and succumbed to exposure. Possible on a mountain where weather changes in minutes. The reported cries for help — if they were Daylenn — suggest distress rather than an instant fatal fall, though the reports were never confirmed as his.
The “shadow man.” Internet lore holds that the figure in Daylenn’s selfie was another person on the stairs — and some versions go darker. There is no evidence for foul play: no second person was ever identified, no sign of a struggle, and the figure in the photo was never determined to be anything but ambiguous. This is rumor, not evidence, and must be labeled as such.
Have information?
Contact the Honolulu Police Department at (808) 529-3111. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- circa 1997 — Daylenn Moke Pua is born in Hawaii.
- February 2015 — Daylenn, a senior at Ke Kula ‘O Ehunuikaimalino (Kealakekua), visits Oahu for a school field trip; stays with his grandmother.
- February 26, 2015 — Against his grandmother’s warning, Daylenn sets out to hike the Haiku Stairs from the Moanalua Valley side; posts asking followers to wish him luck.
- February 27, 2015, ~11:00 a.m. — Daylenn sends selfies from the trail; one appears to show a shadowy figure.
- February 27, 2015 — Hikers report a cry for help; Reddit user ‘Dclandry’ describes screams; Daylenn’s father is flown over the valley shouting his name.
- March 3, 2015 — Search called off; Daylenn presumed lost/perished on the mountain. Body never recovered.
- 2024 — Honolulu begins removing the Haiku Stairs.
- 2024–2025 — Renewed coverage (LADbible, StrangeOutdoors, Coffeehouse Crime).
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Daylenn Pua still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Daylenn Pua has been missing for more than 11 years. His body was never recovered, and he remains listed as missing.
Was Daylenn Pua ever found?
No. Despite an intensive search involving helicopters and ground teams, no trace of Daylenn was ever found on the mountain.
What is the “shadow man” in Daylenn Pua’s selfie?
In one of the selfies Daylenn sent from the trail at about 11:00 a.m., viewers spotted what appears to be a shadowy human-like figure in the background. It has never been determined whether it was a person, a trick of light, or nothing at all. There is no evidence connecting it to his disappearance.
How old would Daylenn Pua be today?
Daylenn was 18 when he vanished in February 2015 (born circa 1997). He would be about 29 years old today.
Are the Haiku Stairs still there?
The stairs were closed to the public in 1987 but widely hiked illegally for decades. In 2024, the City and County of Honolulu began dismantling and removing them.
How can I help?
Share this case file. If you have any information, contact the Honolulu Police Department at (808) 529-3111.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Honolulu Police Department (808-529-3111).
- News: LADbible, “Mystery of teen who vanished on forbidden Hawaiian hike as eerie detail spotted in final selfie” (Dec 2025; Oct 2024; Aug 2025); Hawaii News Now coverage (2015).
- Reference: The Charley Project, “Daylenn Moke Pua”; NamUs.
- Media: StrangeOutdoors, “Daylenn Pua – Missing Hiker on the Haiku Stairs”; Coffeehouse Crime, “The Vanishing on the Stairway to Heaven” (YouTube).
Corrections (October 2026 fact-check): minor — hair color corrected from “brown” to black per the Charley Project. Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.