Hiker missing in mountains on Hawaii honeymoon

MOLOKAI, Hawaii — A newlywed bride is asking for help locating her husband, who went missing while hiking a mountain in Hawaii on Monday.

Stephen and Jeffanie Kramar got married in Virginia on Sept. 8.

Just hours after their reception, they boarded a plane to Hawaii for their honeymoon and landed on Molokai the next day.

“We saw the east side for the first time, and Stephen just was dazzled seeing the mountain. He was like, ‘Oh my God. This is amazing.’ He’s an avid hiker. So he’s hiked a few mountains before. Most of them, though, were snow-capped mountains,” Jeffanie said.

It was the couple’s first trip to the islands. They were going to hike the mountain, but because Stephen is more experienced, he wanted to scour the terrain first to make sure it was safe for his bride.

“He said, ‘If you don’t hear back from me around 6 o’clock, 7 o’clock, then you should be worried,” Jeffanie said.

He left around 9:30 a.m. Monday, and texted Jeffanie around 2:30 p.m. Monday.

“In the text he said, ‘Travel is slow, but I’m on my way back,'” Jeffanie said.

That was the last text she received from him. She contacted authorities Monday night, and crews have been searching since.

“It’s not easy. It’s a big mountain. The more people we can get, the more volunteers, the faster we can find him,” Jeffanie said.

A helicopter and K-9 unit from Maui have joined in on the search. Locals who are familiar with the area are helping in the search as well.

Jeffanie said they found footprints Thursday, and it’s believed that they belong to Stephen.

“If you’re out there listening to this, and you have the heart to try to offer help or resources, I would not only welcome it, but I would be so grateful,” she said.