By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-22 20:11:41 | Updated at 2025-01-22 23:15:41
3 hours ago
The search for a teenage girl and boy who mysteriously vanished off the Hawaii coast has been suspended.
Samantha Chun, 17, and Joseph 'Joey' Fujioka, 18, were reported missing on Friday after they failed to return home following a night on the North Shore together.
The multiagency search was called off at sunset on Tuesday after human remains were found on Saturday afternoon about 200 yards off Ke Iki Beach on the North Shore.
The remains were confirmed to be human, but the identity of the remains and if they belong to one or more individuals has not yet been determined, Fire Captain Jaimie Song with the Honolulu Fire Department said.
Song said that the community is hopeful Samantha and Joey might still be out there as it also remains unclear if the remains are related to the case.
'We do not have confirmation, though, that those remains are related to this search effort, so we still hold that hope,' she said. Their families have been notified of the findings.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Rice said that the decision to suspend the search was 'very complex and difficult.'
'We have a lot of discussion with our partner agencies to make sure that we are making the best decisions that we can as a group and collectively, and just given the situation surrounding the case, as well as our search efforts to this point,' Rice said.
Samantha Chun (pictured), 17,and Joseph 'Joey' Fujioka, 18, were reported missing on Friday after they failed to return home following a night on the North Shore together
The multiagency search for the pair was called off on Tuesday after officials found human remains just off of Ke Iki Beach on the North Shore. (Pictured: Joseph 'Joey' Fujioka)
'Unless anything new comes up, we’ve come to that very difficult decision to suspend the case tonight at sunset.'
The pair were last seen on camera around 9.45pm local time Friday buying items at a convenience store in Mililani - the city both Samantha and Joey are from.
The U.S. Coast Guard were officially notified about the missing teens around 11am Saturday morning after Samantha's mother found their belongings on the beach.
'Keys, wallet and clothing - everything that indicated they had relaxed at the beach, and that's what started our search efforts,' Rice said.
Joey's family were also able to track his phone's location to the beach, Lt. Deena Thoemmes with the Honolulu Police Department said.
'Based on Joseph’s phone location, his family was able to determine that his phone ran out of battery at 11:06 p.m. His last location was at the beach. All the items have been recovered,' Thoemmes said.
Although the search has been suspended, the Honolulu Police Department said they will continue to look for Samantha and Joey, who according to Thoemmes, are boyfriend and girlfriend.
'On Friday, Jan. 17, just after 9 p.m., Joseph left his home to pick up his girlfriend, Samantha, from her home in Mililani. At about 9:47 p.m., they went to Aloha Gas on Kipapa Drive and then they arrived at Ke Iki Beach at about 10:30 p.m.,' Thoemmes detailed.
The U.S. Coast Guard were officially notified about the missing teens around 11am Saturday morning after Samantha's mother found their belongings on the beach. (Pictured: Ke Iki Beach)
She said that Joey then parked his 2012 silver Toyota Corolla on Ke Iki Road. It 'was later found locked and secured,' Hawaii News Now reported.
The department is still interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage to learn more about what happened to them.
Thoemmes said the department has not ruled out foul play.
On Saturday evening, Samantha's mother, Kiyomi Chun took to Facebook asking the public to help find her daughter and Joey.
'Please help find my daughter Samantha “Sammy” Chun and her friend Joseph! Last known location is ke iki beach north shore last night. Any info regarding either of their locations greatly appreciated!,' she wrote alongside images of them.
Samantha's coworkers from the McDonald's she works at near Waipio Acres described her as someone with 'good energy.'
'She was always positive when she would come to work, she'd put a smile on peoples faces,' they told the outlet.
Prior to being called off, the Coast Guard and other agencies spent more than '54 combined hours' searching for the missing teenagers across 2,321 square-nautical miles.
The Honolulu Police Department said they will continue to search for Samantha and Joey, who according to Thoemmes, are boyfriend and girlfriend
Their families have thanked the public for their efforts and have urged them to keep looking for Joey and Samantha.
'All organizations have been amazing during this impossible time; Police, Fire, Coast Guard, Lifeguards, Ocean Safety, Civil Air Patrol, the Guard and Active Duty members, as well as the volunteers who have searched the surrounding areas, around neighborhoods and into the mountains — all who are working to help bring our children home,' they said.
'Please keep looking. If anyone saw them that night or has any information that might help us find them, please contact the authorities. We don’t know what happened that night. We don’t know for sure that they went into the water. The waves were huge and both kids were born and raised in Hawaii and know and love the ocean.'
From Friday night into Saturday morning, the water conditions were dangerous with waves ranging from 30-40 feet-tall, according to Ocean Safety Lt. Jesse King.
Samantha has been described as five-feet tall with long brown hair, freckles and brown eyes. Joey is five-feet, 10 inches tall with brown hair and brown eyes.
