Grandma of hiker who went missing after sending mysterious ‘shadow man’ pic issued him warning before

A teenager who disappeared during a hike in Hawaii after sending his relatives a strange picture was warned not to head on the trek.

Daylenn 'Moke' Pua, 18, vanished in February 2015 after heading off to explore Oahu’s Haʻikū Stairs, which are also known as the 'Stairway to Heaven'.

Before he set off on the hike that he never returned from, his grandmother Martha Bear explained that she urged him not to climb the mountain that leads to the idyllic spot.

Daylenn had been staying with his relative in Waianae for the weekend after travelling to Oahu for a field trip and he boarded a bus on the morning of 27 February, 2015, which was bound for the beginning of the mountain trail.

The teenager had excitedly shared posts on Facebook discussing his excitement for the 'insane' adventure he was heading on, which gained a flurry of responses cautioning him about the dangers.

It is illegal to visit the iconic landmark, which was closed in 1987 due to 'vandalism and liability concerns'. It was built by the US during World War II in order to allow for access to a radio station.

Accessing the 'Stairway To Heaven' is illegal, but daring hikers sometimes still head up there (Getty Stock Image)

Despite this, according to a 2018 proposed Hawaii state bill calling for firmer consequences to be brought in for trespassers, 'hikers illegally access the trail every day despite fences, security guards, and warning signs'.

It is claimed that when people pointed this out to Daylenn in the comments of his social media post, he responded saying he was well aware that 'it's closed and you can get a citation'.

"But the citation isn’t that bad!! But there’s other ways to getting to the stairs without breaking any laws," he wrote, according to SFGATE.

Daylenn also reassured people who pointed out there had recently been a landslide near the Haʻikū Stairs that he would be careful and was opting to take a route that avoided this area.

After arriving, he sent a series of snaps to family members of the stunning surroundings, and one ended up becoming a pivotal part of the investigation into his disappearance.

Daylenn then stopped responding - and the following day, his concerned loved ones reported him missing, which triggered an extensive search of the trail and the mountain range that spanned several days.

This image became a focal point of the probe into Daylenn's disappearance (Crime Stoppers Honolulu)

According to teen's father, he was an 'experienced' hiker who had never gone AWOL before.

Daylenn's devastated grandmother Martha also spoke to the media about the last conversation she had with her grandson before he fatefully headed out on the hike.

She told local news outlet the Star-Advertiser that she had discussed the closure of the Stairway to Heaven to heaven with him and had told the youngster: "You cannot climb that mountain. If you go up there, you can get locked up."

Martha also told KSNT of the warning she had issued to Daylenn: "I told my grandson that it’s closed down. They’re not letting anybody climb that mountain. It was on the news and I told him that."

Authorities focused part of the mammoth search in an area towards the end of the Kulana'ahane Trail, which is where Daylenn took the last photo that he sent to his family.

The 18-year-old's family described him as an 'experienced' hiker (Family Handout)

Volunteers rappelled 600 feet below the cliffs in the hopes of finding some sign of him, before authorities took a closer look at the snap they were using as a reference and spotted something interesting.

Among the greenery that Daylenn photographed, there appears to be a shadowy silhouette lurking - and officials were keen to find out who this might have been.

Public appeals were launched to try and track down the mystery man, which ended up being fruitless. But more than a decade on, his identity remains a mystery.

Ethan Pearson-Pomerantz, the president of Oahu Search and Rescue (OSAR), previously told SFGATE of the unsolved missing persons case: "It’s a very big area up there. Who knows where he could have ended up?

"Everybody has their theories, and the evidence may or may not support some of those. There’s always more places to look, and there’s always room to search the same places over again."