Beneath the Palms: Hawaii's True Crime, Mysteries & Untold History

Richard “Kalani” Vierra Jr., 15, vanished from Waianae, Oahu on July 5, 2014 after leaving for a solo morning hike in the Kamaileuna, also reported as Kamaileunu, Ridge area near his home. He was an 11th-grader at Kamaile Academy Public Charter School, a Boy Scout, a church kid, a jiu-jitsu student, and Dolly Vierra’s only child.

Early that Saturday morning, Kalani left home around 6:30 a.m. for a hike in the mountain country above Waianae. At 11:28 a.m., his mother reached him by phone. He sounded fine. He told her, “I’m coming down.” When she called again at 12:15 p.m., the call went to voicemail. He has not been confirmed seen or heard from since.

This revisited episode of Beneath the Palms follows the verified timeline of Kalani’s disappearance, the early search response, the phone ping near Pokai Bay, the search by firefighters, police, family, friends, and volunteers, and the long-term pain of an unresolved missing juvenile case that remains active in official missing-person listings.

Kalani was not just a missing teen hiker. He was a son, a student, an athlete, and a young man with a future people could still see in him. This episode keeps the confirmed record separate from speculation and carefully examines the unanswered possibilities: accident, exposure, route error, phone ping confusion, voluntary disappearance, reported sightings that did not pan out, and the lack of confirmed public evidence pointing to a suspect or abduction.

If you have information about Richard “Kalani” Vierra Jr.’s disappearance, contact Honolulu police or CrimeStoppers Honolulu. One small, verifiable detail can still matter.

Sources:

Missing Person / NamUs #MP35230: Richard Kalani Vierra

CrimeStoppers Honolulu Missing Persons: Richard “Kalani” Vierra

Rescue crews search for missing teen hiker in Waianae

Volunteers continue the search for a missing teenager

Disappearance of Waianae teen still a mystery

Waianae hiker’s family and friends anxiously wait for his return

Honolulu Star-Advertiser archival coverage via Newspapers.com: July 7, July 8, July 9, and October 1, 2014

West Hawaii Today archival report via Newspapers.com: July 8, 2014

808 Gracie Fighter missing-poster material provided during episode research.

Music: Mahalo to Yoza for “Broken Wings.”

#RichardKalaniVierra #KalaniVierra #RichardVierraJr #MissingInHawaii #MissingPerson #MissingTeen #Waianae #Oahu #HawaiiMissing #KamaileunuRidge #KamaileunaRidge #HawaiiHiking #UnsolvedDisappearance #MissingJuvenile #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms

In late February 2015, Daylenn “Moke” Pua told family members he planned to hike the Haiku Stairs on Oahu, also known as the Stairway to Heaven. He was still a teenager, a senior from Hawaii Island, a student at Ke Kula ʻo ʻEhunuikaimalino, an aspiring pastry chef, a grandson, a brother, and Moke to the people who loved him.

This revisited episode of Beneath the Palms rebuilds Daylenn’s story with more care, more humanity, and stronger source context. Using verified reporting, official search updates, family statements, and community source material, we follow the known timeline of his disappearance, the images he shared during the hike, the later appeal to identify a man seen in one photo, and the search that stretched across the Haiku Stairs, the Koolau ridgeline, steep valleys, and difficult terrain near Kaneohe.

Honolulu Police, Honolulu Fire, Navy searchers, family members, classmates, volunteers, and off-duty military personnel all became part of the effort to find him. Official searchers focused on dangerous ridges, drop zones, and areas tied to his last known picture and later phone data referenced during the search. After official efforts slowed, his ʻohana and community kept going with private helicopters, drones, food, fundraising, and hope.

This episode separates record from rumor. Online theories exist, but no theory became an official finding. What remains is the documented story of a young man with a life already unfolding, a family still waiting, and a mountain that has never given back the answer.

Listener discretion advised: this episode discusses an unresolved missing-person case, wilderness risk, dangerous terrain, and the possibility of a fatal accident.

Sources:

Hawaii News Now - HFD suspends search for missing hiker

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/28244607/hfd-suspends-search-for-missing-hiker/

Hawaii News Now - Family of missing Big Island hiker asking for public's help to identify man in photo

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/28401461/family-of-missing-big-island-hiker-asking-for-publics-help-to-identify-man-in-photo/

Honolulu Star-Advertiser - Hiker’s solo trek generates 2 days of fruitless searching

https://www.newspapers.com/image/266354472/

West Hawaii Today - Family, classmates hang onto hope for missing youth

https://www.newspapers.com/image/825178228/

West Hawaii Today - Family, classmates hang onto hope for missing youth, continued

https://www.newspapers.com/image/825178247/

West Hawaii Today - Teen’s family vows to keep up search

https://www.newspapers.com/image/825180228/

GoFundMe - Aloha no Moke Pua

https://www.gofundme.com/f/ns2oj4

The Charley Project - Daylenn Moke Pua

https://charleyproject.org/case/daylenn-moke-pua

SFGATE - The mysterious disappearance of a Hawaii hiker

https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/missing-hawaii-hiker-daylenn-pua-19805857.php

KITV4 Island News - Search suspended for missing Haiku stairs hiker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBYpM3CH0sQ

Civil Beat - Stairway to Heaven Could Be Removed By 2022

https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/06/stairway-to-heaven-could-be-removed-by-2022/

Civil Beat - Dismantling Haʻikū Stairs Is Urgent Safety Issue, City Says In Court Filing

https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/02/dismantling-ha%CA%BBiku-stairs-is-urgent-safety-issue-city-says-in-court-filing/

#DaylennPua #HaikuStairs #StairwayToHeaven #HawaiiMissingPersons #MissingHiker #UnsolvedHawaii #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms

Kyle Brittain was 27 years old, newly finished with massage school, and staying at his father’s house in Hilo when he set out for what was supposed to be a one-day hike into Waipio Valley on Hawaii Island.

He had grown up hiking with his dad. He had water, energy bars, his phone, and people who expected him home. But somewhere between the Waipio lookout, the valley floor, the Z Trail, and the route toward Waimanu, Kyle vanished without a confirmed trace.

This fully revisited episode follows the documented disappearance of Kyle Brittain, the search that stretched across Waipio Valley, the Muliwai/Z Trail, Waimanu Valley, ravines, cliffs, creek beds, and some of the most difficult terrain on the Big Island. Hawaii Island Police, Hawaii County crews, search teams, volunteers, drones, rappellers, family members, and the Search Tech Advisory Team all became part of the effort to find him.

But this is not just a missing hiker story. Kyle was a son, brother, uncle, friend, future massage therapist, and a young man his family described as loving, happy, a healer, and an old soul. This episode keeps Kyle at the center while separating the verified record from online speculation, rumor, and unanswered questions.

If you know anything about Kyle Brittain’s disappearance, if you hiked Waipio around August 30, 2019, or if you saw anything near the lookout, valley floor, Z Trail, Muliwai route, or Waimanu area that may matter, contact Hawaii Island Police at 808-935-3311. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.

Sources:

09-03-19 Missing person: Kyle Brittain — Hawaii Police Department

https://www.hawaiipolice.com/09-03-19-missing-person-kyle-brittain

09-23-19 Missing person: Kyle Brittain Update — Hawaii Police Department

https://www.hawaiipolice.com/09-23-10-missing-person-kyle-brittain-update

10-18-19 Missing person: Kyle Brittain Update — Hawaii Police Department

https://www.hawaiipolice.com/10-18-19-missing-person-kyle-brittain-update

Oahu Man Reported Missing on Hawaii Island — Maui Now

https://mauinow.com/2019/08/31/missing-oahu-man-last-seen-on-hawai%CA%BBi-island/

We Know He’s Out There: Family, Friends Search for Missing Man on Big Island — Hawaii News Now

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/09/02/search-underway-year-old-man-who-went-missing-waipio-valley/

Family Suspends Big Island Search for 27-Year-Old Missing Since August — Hawaii News Now

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/09/24/family-suspends-big-island-search-year-old-missing-since-august/

DAY 12: Cell Data Reveals Last Known Location of Kyle Brittain — Big Island Now

https://bigislandnow.com/2019/09/11/day-12-cell-data-reveals-last-known-location-of-kyle-brittain/

Search for Hiker Kyle Brittain Suspended — Big Island Now

https://bigislandnow.com/2019/09/23/search-for-hiker-kyle-brittain-suspended/

Search For Missing Waipio Valley Hiker Kyle Brittain — Big Island Video News

https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2019/09/05/search-for-missing-waipio-valley-hiker-kyle-brittain/

Family, Friends Continue Effort to Find Missing Hiker — Hawaii Tribune-Herald / West Hawaii Today archive

https://www.kaumakani.com/family-friends-continue-effort-to-find-missing-hiker/

Trail Information — Muliwai Trail

https://muliwaitrail.com/trail-information/

Getting to the Trail — Muliwai Trail

https://muliwaitrail.com/getting-trail/

Find Kyle Brittain — GoFundMe

https://www.gofundme.com/f/find-kyle-brittain

Mahalo to Yoza for “Broken Wings.” Find her music at yozamusic.com and on Instagram @yozamusic.

#KyleBrittain #WaipioValley #MissingHiker #MissingPerson #HawaiiTrueCrime #BigIsland #WaimanuValley #ZTrail #MuliwaiTrail #UnsolvedDisappearance #BeneathThePalms #HawaiiPodcast #TrueCrimePodcast

Eighteen-year-old Glenn Guerrero was last seen alive in the passenger seat of a pickup truck leaving Shipman Ballpark in Keaau, Hawaii. Hours later, he was found shot to death off a dirt road above the field. The truck was never publicly identified. The driver was never named. And nearly thirty years later, his murder remains unsolved.

This revisited episode of Beneath the Palms takes a deeper, more careful look at the 1996 unsolved homicide of Glenn Guerrero on Hawaii Island. Built from public records, police appeals, and credible local reporting, this episode follows the verified timeline: the last sighting, the unidentified pickup, the dirt road above Shipman Ballpark, the autopsy finding, the renewed 2017 appeal, and the silence that still surrounds the case.

This is not just a cold case. It is the story of an eighteen-year-old from Keaau who should have had a lifetime beyond that road. Where the record is clear, we stay with it. Where the record goes quiet, we say so plainly. Public discussion and online speculation are treated carefully and never presented as fact.

If you have information about Glenn Guerrero’s murder, or any unsolved homicide on Hawaii Island, contact the Hawaii Police Department Unsolved Homicides Division at 808-961-2380. Anonymous tips can also be made through Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.

Mahalo to Yoza for the song “Broken Wings,” and for letting that music carry stories where grief and hope have to live in the same breath. Find Yoza on Instagram at @yozamusic and at yozamusic.com.

Sources:

Hawaii Police Department | Glenn Guerrero Murder (F-03588)

https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/glenn-guerrero-murder-f-03588/

Hawaii Police Department | 01-20-17 Police Seek Information About 1996 Murder

https://www.hawaiipolice.com/01-20-17-police-seek-information-about-1996-murder

Hawaii News Now | Police Renew Call for Tips in Big Island Teen’s 1996 Murder

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/34311324/police-renew-call-for-tips-in-big-island-teens-1996-death/

Big Island Now | HPD Renewing Request for Info on 1996 Murder

https://bigislandnow.com/2017/01/20/hpd-renewing-request-for-info-on-1996-murder/

Maui Now | Hawaii Police Department Launches Unsolved Homicides Website

https://mauinow.com/2021/05/10/hawaii-police-department-launches-unsolved-homicides-website/

Gun Violence Memorial | Glenn Guerrero, Age 18

https://gunmemorial.org/1996/08/12/glenn-guerrero

#BeneathThePalms #HawaiiTrueCrime #HawaiiColdCase #UnsolvedMurder #GlennGuerrero #Keaau #BigIsland #HawaiiIsland #ShipmanBallpark #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #UnsolvedHomicide #JusticeForGlennGuerrero

On February 11, 1988, twelve-year-old Jie Zhao Li vanished from Nuuanu, Honolulu while selling Zippy’s chili tickets for a Royal Elementary School fundraiser. She was last seen near the 7-Eleven at Nuuanu Avenue and Kuakini Street around 4:45 p.m., only a few blocks from home, with a promise to return by six.

This fully revisited Beneath the Palms episode rebuilds Jie’s story from the public record with deeper research, clearer sourcing, and a stronger focus on the human story behind the missing-person file. Jie was not just a case number. She was a daughter, sister, student, and child whose family had already crossed oceans looking for safety after living under fear in China.

The investigation became one of Hawaii’s largest missing-child searches, with thousands of volunteers and tens of thousands of man-hours spent looking through Nuuanu streets, stream areas, ravines, and surrounding neighborhoods. Leads included an older 1955–1957 Chevrolet sedan, unidentified persons of interest, possible sightings, and decades of unanswered questions. No body, confirmed suspect, or verified vehicle has ever been found.

More than three decades later, police still believe Jie was abducted by someone outside her family. Her case remains open, her age-progressed images remain active through missing-child organizations, and her family’s waiting remains one of the most heartbreaking parts of this story.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Jie Zhao Li, contact Honolulu CrimeStoppers at 808-955-8300 or the Honolulu Police Department Missing Persons Detail at 808-723-3670.

Sources:

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children — Have You Seen This Child? Jie Zhao Li

https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/771613/1

The Charley Project — Jie Zhao Li

https://charleyproject.org/case/jie-zhao-li

Hawaii News Now — After 26 years, family still wonders... Where is Jie Zhao Li?

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/24596931/after-26-years-family-still-wonders-where-is-jie-zhao-li/

Hawaii News Now — Mother of Girl Missing for 20 Years Breaks Her Silence

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/7869842/mother-of-girl-missing-for-20-years-breaks-her-silence/

Hawaii News Now — Jie Zhao Li Still Missing After 20 Years

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/7856991/jie-zhao-li-still-missing-after-20-years/

Trace Evidence — The Disappearance of Jie Zhao Li

https://www.trace-evidence.com/jie-li

International Missing Persons Wiki — Jie Zhao Li

https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Jie_Zhao_Li

Hashtags:

#JieZhaoLi #MissingInHawaii #HawaiiTrueCrime #HonoluluTrueCrime #Nuuanu #MissingChild #UnsolvedDisappearance #ColdCase #BeneathThePalms #TrueCrimePodcast

In May 1997, 27-year-old Sean Burgado finished a shift in Hilo…and vanished. Days later, he was found shot to death inside his home on Malaai Road in upper Waiākea Uka. No arrests. No suspects. No clear motive. Almost thirty years later, his case is still unsolved — and still quietly haunting the island.

Read the official case summary:

Hawai‘i Police Dept, “Sean Burgado Murder (F-27882)” → https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/sean-burgado-murder-f-27882/ Hawaii Police Department

And the renewed appeal for tips (Feb 6 2017) → https://www.hawaiipolice.com/02-06-17-police-seek-information-about-1997-murder Hawaii Police

This episode walks through the real story: the timeline, the investigation, the silence that followed, and the people who never stopped asking what really happened to Sean.

Follow additional coverage:
Hawai‘i News Now, “2 decades later, Big Island police follow new leads…” → https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/02/13/big-island-police-renew-request-information-homicide/ https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com

If you know anything about this case, contact Hawai‘i Police: Case F-27882: Or call CrimeStoppers: 808-961-8300

Follow Beneath the Palms for more stories of Hawai‘i’s missing and murdered — the ones too many people forget.

#SeanBurgado #Hilo #HawaiiCrime #HawaiiColdCase #UnsolvedHomicide #WaiakeaUka #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms #ColdCaseHawaii #HiloNews #HawaiiPodcast #TrueCrimePodcast #HawaiiHistory #MissingAndMurdered #UnsolvedMysteries

In this revisited Beneath the Palms episode, we return to the unsolved 1975 murder of 13-year-old Dawn “Dede” Bustamante in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, and the survival of Cherie Verdugo, the friend abducted with her.

Dawn was Maureen and Neil Bustamante’s first-born daughter — a girl remembered for her glasses, her braces, her personality, and the ordinary pieces of a life that should have kept going. On March 14, 1975, Dawn and Cherie were walking through Kailua when a man with a gun forced them into a white car and drove them toward the secluded area near the Pali Golf Course.

This episode follows Dawn’s story, Cherie’s survival, the composite sketch that shaped the early investigation, and the long silence that followed. It also revisits the arrest and indictment of former Kaneohe Marine Delmar, also reported as Delmer, Jerome Edmonds Jr., whose case was dismissed after DNA testing excluded him from key biological evidence. Edmonds was once a suspect; the verified record does not allow him to be called Dawn’s killer.

At the center of this story are two thirteen-year-old girls, one family’s decades of grief, one survivor’s lasting trauma, and an open Hawaii cold case still waiting for the truth to reach daylight.

Mahalo to Yoza for the use of “Broken Wings.”

Sources:

No healing for Dede’s mom | The Honolulu Advertiser

https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/Jul/20/ln/ln02a.html

Corrections | The Honolulu Advertiser

https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/Jul/21/ln/ln38acorrections.html

Family backs suspect of ’75 slaying | The Honolulu Advertiser

https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/Jul/22/ln/ln07a.html

Key witness in ’75 case was murdered in 1986 | The Honolulu Advertiser

https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/Jul/29/ln/ln01a.html

DNA clears former Marine Edmonds of 1975 murder | The Honolulu Advertiser

https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Sep/07/ln/ln01a.html

Ex-Marine Edmonds indicted in Bustamante slaying | Honolulu Star-Bulletin

https://archives.starbulletin.com/2001/08/08/news/story14.html

’75 murder suspect arrives for trial | Honolulu Star-Bulletin

https://archives.starbulletin.com/2001/10/19/news/story15.html

Bustamante suspect let go | Honolulu Star-Bulletin

https://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/09/07/news/story1.html

Judge rules Edmonds case dismissed for now | Honolulu Star-Bulletin

https://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/09/11/news/story6.html

#DawnBustamante #DedeBustamante #BeneathThePalms #HawaiiTrueCrime #Kailua #Oahu #UnsolvedMurder #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #HawaiiColdCase

This special trailer introduces Under the Pines, a new true-crime series from Aku Bone Media.
Rooted in the quiet mill towns of New England and Beyond, the show follows unsolved cases, forgotten disappearances, and the echoes that linger long after headlines fade.

For listeners of Beneath the Palms in Hawaiʻi, this episode bridges the distance—inviting anyone with ties to Fitchburg, Leominster, Gardner, or beyond to revisit the stories that shaped an entire region.

Two places. One heartbeat of storytelling.
Where the past doesn’t rest… it waits.

Listen to the full series here:
Under the Pines Podcast

#UnderThePines #TrueCrimePodcast #MassachusettsTrueCrime #FitchburgMA #LeominsterMA #GardnerMA #ColdCaseFiles #UnsolvedMysteries #AkuBoneMedia #BeneathThePalms #NewEnglandTrueCrime #PodcastTrailer

In January 2001, nineteen-year-old Kallen Agliam vanished after leaving Hilo. Hours later, his body was found off Old Hilo Coast Processing Plant Road near Pepeʻekeo—a single gunshot wound to the chest. No witnesses. No weapon. No arrests.

Two decades later, his case remains one of East Hawaii’s longest-running unsolved murders. His family still waits for answers. His name still sits on the Hawaii Police Department’s unsolved homicide list—a reminder that justice can fade if no one keeps it alive.

If stories like Kallen’s matter to you—if you believe quiet cases still deserve to be heard—follow Beneath the Palms on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen. On Instagram and YouTube, we share the faces, the places, and the echoes behind every case.

Sources:Hawaii Police Department – Unsolved Homicides Archive

Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Obituary, Feb. 13, 2001)

Hawaii Police Department Press Releases (2001, 2020)

Music: “Obsession” by Yoza – find her on Instagram @yozamusic or at www.yozamusic.com

If you have information about this case:

Call the Hawaii Police Department at (808) 961-2383 or Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.

#BeneathThePalms #TrueCrimeHawaii #UnsolvedHomicide #KallenAgliam #Hilo #Pepeekeo #HawaiiCrime #ColdCase #PodcastHawaii

Twenty-one years after gunfire shattered the calm at Honolulu’s Pali Golf Course, another body has surfaced.
Jonnaven Monalim—once a government witness who testified in the federal racketeering case United States v. Motta et al.—was found shot to death in Waipio in November 2025.

Police say he was last seen leaving his home in Kapolei.
Days later, his body was discovered near the Waipio Soccer Complex, with blood and spent casings found miles away in Pearl City Industrial Park.
The Honolulu Police Department has classified his death as a homicide. No suspects. No motive.

In this addendum episode, we return to the case that once exposed Oahu’s violent gambling underworld—and the man who helped prosecutors link it together.
Because sometimes, even decades later, the story isn’t finished.

Sources:

• Hawaii News Now — “Former government witness who testified about Oahu gang shootout found dead” (Nov 8 2025)

• Honolulu Police Department — official homicide press release (Nov 2025)

• United States v. Ethan Motta et al., Criminal No. 06-00080 SOM, District of Hawai‘i:

  • Docket No. 1207 (Oct 22 2009)

  • Docket No. 1430 (Oct 1 2012)

• GovInfo.gov — archived federal case materials

If you have information regarding the death of Jonnaven Monalim, contact the Honolulu Police Department’s Homicide Division or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.

Darkness may linger beneath the palms, but so does hope.

#BeneathThePalms #PaliGolfCourseShootings #JonnavenMonalim #HawaiiCrime #HawaiiTrueCrime #OrganizedCrime #HonoluluPoliceDepartment #HawaiiNewsNow #OahuCrimeStories #TrueCrimePodcast #HawaiiJustice #UnfinishedStories #HomicideInvestigation #FederalRICO #CrimeStoppersHawaii #HawaiiHistory #DarknessMayLingerButSoDoesHope #JonnavenMonalim