The search for two Maui teenagers reported as runaways earlier this month has ended on a relieved note, with both youths found safe and in good health, the Maui Police Department announced Sunday. Sixteen-year-old Destiny Gill and 17-year-old Daezirie Yuen had last been seen together on January 4 in the Wailuku area, prompting a public call for help and a wave of community tips that officers say helped bring the pair home.
The update was shared on the Maui Police Department's Facebook page, which reported that the teens were located and found to be in good health and publicly thanked residents who called in tips and assisted officers, according to the Maui Police Department. The post also reiterated the youths' descriptions and the details of where and when they were last seen.
Descriptions and last known sighting
Police descriptions published in the department post and in nationwide missing person listings identify Gill as 16, Caucasian, with blonde hair and brown eyes, about 5-foot-5 and roughly 100 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black crop top, black shorts and a black jacket. Daezirie Yuen is listed as 17, African American, with black hair and brown eyes, about 5-foot-7 and 230 pounds, and he was reported to have been wearing a white long-sleeved top and white shorts. Both juveniles were said to frequent the Kahului and Wailuku areas and were last seen together near 21 La'a Street in Wailuku on January 4 at approximately 3:30 p.m., according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
How police handled the case
The Maui Police Department credited community members for their help and encouraged anyone with information about similar cases to contact the department's non-emergency line at 808-244-6400, according to the Maui Police Department. The agency's website lists contact details for its Wailuku headquarters, and officers noted that people with urgent or time-sensitive information should call 911.
Runaway youth on the islands
Runaway reports and endangered youth recoveries remain a stubborn challenge across Hawaiʻi. Reporting by Hawaiʻi Public Radio has highlighted that multi-agency sweeps have located dozens of young people in recent years and that roughly 1,500–2,000 runaway reports are filed statewide each year. Those coordinated efforts focus not only on finding missing teens but also on connecting them with services and support meant to keep them from returning to the streets.
