Who Is Noah Mina? New Details On The Second Hiker To Go Missing On Maui As Search For Amanda Eller Continues
A second hiker has gone missing in Hawaii. Police found the body of 35-year-old Noah Mina.
Facebook UPDATE: On May 29th, the body of Noah Mina, a Hawaiian hiker who was reported missing on May 21st, was found 300ft below a fall line in the summit region of Mauna Kahalawai, in the West Maui Mountains in Hawaii. Searchers who helped find Amanda Eller aided in the search for Mina. The police search for Mina ended on Saturday, but his family continued on their own, paying for private helicopters using infrared lights to scour the jungle for him. Noah's father Vincent Mina described his son as gentle, loving and humble with a strong Hawaiian heart and will.
The original article continues below. Our hearts are with the family and friends of Noah Mina.
Noah Mina has been missing on Maui since Monday and searchers have been scouring a forest area hoping to locate the 35-year-old man. His family is assisting in the search but the area where he is thought to have disappeared is considered “treacherous and dangerous.” Meanwhile, on another part of the island, the search continues for missing yoga teacher Amanda Eller. Authorities and volunteers have been looking for Eller for more than two weeks now, after she went out for a run and never returned. While police assure the public that the two missing persons cases are not related, both have generated interest from the media.
Who is Noah Mina and where could he be? Read on for all the details about Maui’s second missing hiker this month.
1. Search
Police and volunteers have been searching for Mina since he was reported missing on Monday. He had been hiking on the Kapilau Ridge Trail, also known as the Saint Anthony Cross in Wailuku. They have issued a description in the event that anyone sees him, saying he is a 35-year-old male, 5'8" tall, 180 pounds, with black hair that is currently shaved and brown eyes. KHON reports that police and firefighters have set up a base-camp near the Lao Water Treatment plant along West Alu Road, and police and family members have been searching since Wednesday. There have also been reports of helicopters in the air over the area.
Noah was reported missing on Monday.
2. Second missing hiker
Noah Mina isn’t the only hiker missing on the island at the moment. On May 8th, Amanda Eller reportedly went for a run in the Makawao Forest Reserve, an area she has been known to frequent, according to Refinery 29. Her car was found in the parking lot there and her wallet, cell phone, and car key were all found in her car, though people close to her say she would have left those behind while running. Her family is concerned about foul play and a spokesperson for the family told Maui News, “Generally speaking, it’s highly likely she’s lost or injured in this forest, and it's equally as likely that she was intercepted by someone in the parking lot or on her run. As the days go by, and more and more people are in the forest, we get closer and closer to foul play.”
The search for Amanada has been going on for more than two weeks.
3. Reward
In the case of Eller, family and friends are offering a reward to help find here according to Refinery 29. A $10,000 reward is offered for anyone with information about Eller’s disappearance or whereabouts. They are also urging people to contact Maui Crime Stoppers at 808-242-6966 or Haynes at 415-336-4591 with any leads. The family also has a Facebook page and they are making for volunteers to help in their search.
Family is hoping for public help in finding Amanda.
4. Unlikely to be connected
At this time, police don’t think there is a link between the two missing hikers. They vanished in different parts of the island and are not lost in the same forest. Still, though, it is a strange coincidence.
Friends use social media to spread the word.
5. Family statement
Mina’s family is grateful for the help they have been getting from police and community members as they try to figure out where Mina has gone. However, they expressly asked that volunteer searchers hold off on trying to join the effort as the terrain police are searching is not safe.
Maui Now reports that they issued a statement earlier this week saying: “We would like to express our deepest mahalo for the outpouring of aloha shared by the community. At this time we are working closely with law enforcement officials and search and rescue, and we are confident in the progress they are making.” They went on to say: “We are currently blessed with a wealth of support, and although we are deeply appreciative of the generosity, we would like to ask the community to refrain from assisting with the search. No additional manpower is needed at this time, as the area being covered is both treacherous and dangerous. We thank you for your continued respect and aloha, and ask that you please keep Noah in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
MIna's family issued a statement.
Police are continuing to search for Mina as conditions permit.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.