A TEEN who hiked up the “Stairway to Heaven” steps snapped a photo of a “shadow man” before he vanished, never to be seen again.
Originally from The Big Island, Daylenn Pua, 18, set out alone to climb the iconic Haiku Stairs on the island of O’ahu.
A high school student from Hawaii Island, Pua was visiting his grandmother Martha Bear on O’ahu in February 2015.
The teen posted on social media, sharing his plans on Facebook saying: “Stairway to Heaven. Hiking this insane hike tomorrow. Wish me luck.”
On the day of his hike, his last public Facebook post read: “And the hike begins. #haiku'”
He then shared a series of grainy snaps showing his location.
Prior to the hike, his grandmother warned him to avoid the steep and dangerous trail, while friends also tried to dissuade then 18-year-old from going.
When he failed to return from the hike, his concerned grandmother alerted the authorities the next days.
Volunteer rescue crews rappelled 600 feet below the cliffs to where he was last seen but were unable to find him.
The fire department focused on a narrow ridge with steep drops either side based on a cry for help reported by two hikers, Hawaii News Now reported in the days after he vanished.
While emergency services and volunteers combed the area, family and friends scrutinised the photos – and that’s when they spotted a mystery man lurking in the background.
The grainy image shows a mysterious man hiding in the shrubs, however not much else is known.
Family members at the time desperately asked for the public’s help identifying the man in the photo in the hope he may be able to provide more clues that could lead to Pua’s location.
The family even travelled to the location that Pua’s phone last pinged – however his body has never been found.
Dubbed the “Stairway To Heaven”, the Haiku Stairs features 3,922 metal stairs and has an elevation of 3,212 feet, making for a strenuous 10.3 mile hike.
The steps were originally installed during World War II, during the construction of the US Naval Radio Station.
The pathway spans the O’ahu’s Ko’olau mountain range.
The facility was classified as “top secret” at the time and was decommissioned in the 1950s.
In the mid-1950s, the wooden stairs were replaced by sections of metal steps and ramps.
The narrow steps were closed in 1987 due to public safety issues, but many hikers overlooked the warning to stay away.
In April 2024, a project to remove the stairs permanently began after hikers continued to ignore the ban.
