Authorities on Hawaiʻi Island are urgently seeking the public’s assistance in locating Earl Kekuanaoa Hind, a 42-year-old fisherman from Kona who has been missing since Monday. According to Nixle, Hind is of Hawaiian descent, stands 6 feet tall, weighs 180 pounds, and has brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen on April 9 around noon, heading in a northerly direction near the Milolii area offshore. Hind’s fishing trips typically took him to the South Point area.
Hind's means of livelihood and a keen stripe of adventurous spirit, the 21-foot Force vessel named Makalapua Onalani, boasts a white hull, light blue cabin, and is powered by twin outboard motors. It stands now as a beacon of his absence, being last seen with Hind at the helm. The truck and boat trailer he used were found at the South Point boat ramp area, a mute testament to the continuing mystery of his whereabouts.
Efforts to locate Hind are currently underway, encompassing coordinated search and rescue operations. According to Nixle's release, the Hawaiʻi Fire Department and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) are conducting aerial searches, and additional groundwork is ongoing along the shoreline. Detectives and search teams are likely combating the pressing nature of time and the unpredictable temperament of the sea, as each hour passes without sign of Hind or the Makalapua Onalani.
Police, urging the public for any information that could lead to locating Hind, request that tips be directed to the police department's non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311. Detective Donovan Kohara of the Area II Criminal Investigation Section can be reached at (808) 960-3118 or via email at [email protected] for more substantial leads. Found by sea, Hind or the Makalapua Onalani should be immediately reported to the USCG Command Center by contacting LCDR Raphael Sandowitz at (808) 842-2600, as requested in a statement by the Coast Guard.
