Latest news with #DaylennPua
Daily Mirror
31-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Missing hiker's haunting last photo shows 'shadow man' before chilling scream
Daylenn Pua, 18, vanished while hiking in Hawaii in December - his last known photo appears to show a 'shadow man' standing behind a tree A teenager who vanished on a hiking trail in Hawaii snapped a chilling photo featuring a 'shadow man' just before he disappeared. Eighteen year old Daylenn Pua was last seen embarking on the perilous Haʻikū Stairs - known as the 'stairway to heaven' - on O'ahu island. The Haʻikū Stairs, constructed during World War II to facilitate better access to a former US Navy Communications facility, were once a popular hiking spot prior to their removal in 2024. With a staggering 3,922 steps, the steep path across the mountain range was infamous for safety issues and was technically illegal to traverse, but this didn't deter many, including young Daylenn, from attempting the risky walk. Despite the sheer drop on either side of the ridge, which meant any misstep could be deadly, Daylenn was eager to take on the challenge. He reassured his worried grandmother by promising to send her regular photos documenting his journey. One of the final images sent eerily shows a man partially obscured behind a tree, standing in the centre of the frame and side-on to the teenager. This mysterious figure, dubbed the 'shadow man,' has never been identified and is believed to be the last person to see Daylenn before he went missing. The unsettling photograph has sparked numerous theories online, fuelling speculation about whether Daylenn was abducted or assaulted, reports the Irish Star. His family later made a public appeal for the individual in the photo to come forward, but no one did. Lacking any alternative theories or evidence, and with a failed search and rescue effort, the prevailing belief is that the teenager accidentally fell from the stairs. This theory is supported by hikers in the same area who reported hearing desperate pleas for assistance. Reddit user 'Dclandry', claiming to have heard the distressing cries, posted: "I could never explain to you the feeling I felt when you hear a cry like that. The hiker did not trust pass and go up the stairs. By the looks of the photographs, he didn't ever make it to the stairs. "The hiker went up the Moanalua way. I'm not a local so I don't really know any of the name of the ridges, all I can do is try my best to explain to others where we went and where it was that we heard him. We started the hike on a trail about 20 feet from the Kulana'ahane trail. We had hiked about three hours up. "We were yelling to each other to make sure the others were okay because we were so far apart. The wind died down for just a half a second and we hear a scream 'help me!". So alarmed by what they witnessed, they contacted emergency services for aid, and upon arrival, the rescue squad seemingly heard more 'screams'. "I'm down here!" was reportedly heard by the group, but pinpointing the source of the cries proved difficult. "The wind was so bad and the clouds are starting to roll in so it was hard to hear anything," one of them explained. They added: "My friend and I that heard the last cry, are heading up the ridge tomorrow the same way that we went Monday. It's hard to explain where the location was that we heard it, as well as where the voice was coming from."
Daily Record
31-05-2025
- Daily Record
Hiker's chilling final scream before vanishing after sending haunting photo of 'shadow man'
Group of hikers claimed a scream could be heard around the same time teenager Daylenn Pua went missing on a walk in Hawaii A teenager who vanished on a hiking trail in Hawaii snapped a mysterious photo featuring a 'shadow man' just before he disappeared. Eighteen-year-old Daylenn Pua was last seen heading up the perilous Haʻikū Stairs - known as the 'stairway to heaven' - on O'ahu island. The stairs were constructed during World War II to provide better access to a former US Navy Communications facility. With a staggering 3,922 steps, the steep path across the mountain range used to be a popular hiking spot prior to its removal in 2024. The site was infamous for safety issues and was actually illegal to traverse, but this did not deter many, including 18-year-old Pua, wanting to attempt the walk anyway despite the risks. Located on either side of the ridge lies a sheer drop, which meant that a stumble at any point could prove fatal. Despite his grandmother's worry about the challenge, Pua was eager to take it on and promised to send her regular photographs to chart his progress. And one of the last photographs sent clearly shows a man partially hidden behind a tree, standing in the centre of the image and side on to the teenager. Dubbed the 'shadow man', this enigmatic figure remains unidentified and is believed to be the last person to have seen Pua before his vanishing. The eerie photograph has sparked numerous online theories, fuelling debate over whether Pua was abducted or assaulted. Following his disappearance, Pua's family made a heartfelt appeal for the mysterious individual in the photo to step forward, but to no avail. With no alternative leads or evidence, and after exhaustive search efforts yielded nothing, it seems most probable the teenager fell from the stairs. This theory is supported by other hikers present at the time who recall hearing desperate pleas for assistance. Reddit user 'Dclandry', who alleges to have heard the distressing sounds, posted: "I could never explain to you the feeling I felt when you hear a cry like that. The hiker did not trust pass and go up the stairs. By the looks of the photographs, he didn't ever make it to the stairs. "The hiker went up the Moanalua way. I'm not a local so I don't really know any of the name of the ridges, all I can do is try my best to explain to others where we went and where it was that we heard him. We started the hike on a trail about 20 feet from the Kulana'ahane trail. We had hiked about three hours up. "We were yelling to each other to make sure the others were okay because we were so far apart. The wind died down for just a half a second and we hear a scream 'help me!". The incident left them so shaken that they phoned 911 for assistance, and when the rescue team arrived, they reportedly heard additional 'screams'. "I'm down here!" was allegedly heard by the group, but pinpointing the exact source of the cries proved difficult. "The wind was so bad and the clouds are starting to roll in so it was hard to hear anything," the commentator noted. "My friend and I that heard the last cry, are heading up the ridge tomorrow the same way that we went Monday. It's hard to explain where the location was that we heard it, as well as where the voice was coming from."
