Missing Keaukaha teen found safe in Hilo, police say

Kymahni Mata was found safe in Hilo in good health at 1:40 p.m. on April 28, closing an endangered-runaway case that had put Keaukaha and the rest of East Hawaii on alert for the 13-year-old.

Hawaii police said Mata was considered endangered because of his age. In the original alert, officers said he was last seen at 6:50 a.m. in the Keaukaha area of Hilo. He was described as Hawaiian, 5 feet 1 inch tall, about 98 pounds, with short black hair, brown eyes and a tan complexion. Police asked anyone with information to call 911 or the nonemergency line at 808-935-3311.

The timing matters. Mata was reported missing, his description was circulated, and the case remained active in the public record until police later confirmed he had been located safely. For families, that sequence is a reminder that the first hours after a child disappears are the most important, when a precise description, the last known location and fast calls to police can make the difference between a brief scare and a prolonged search.

Mata’s case was not the first time Hawaii Police Department had moved quickly on his behalf. Records show officers issued a separate runaway alert for him on March 17 and later closed it the same day after he was located in good health in Hilo. Together, the two incidents show how seriously police treat reports involving minors, even when the child is later found without injury.

That response sits inside a larger statewide system. The Missing Child Center-Hawaii serves as the state’s missing-children clearinghouse and a resource center for law enforcement, social services and families. When a case meets the criteria for broader public notification, Hawaii’s MAILE AMBER Alert system brings together the four county police departments, Civil Defense, local broadcasters and state agencies to spread information as quickly as possible.

In Mata’s case, the most important detail was also the simplest one: he came home safe. For Keaukaha and Hilo, that meant the alert ended without the worst outcome, after a brief but serious response built around speed, local awareness and a detailed description that could move quickly through the community.