Missing Ocean View Man, 82, Located Safe After Highway 11 Search

Douglas Harper, an 82-year-old Ocean View resident reported missing after he was seen walking along Highway 11 toward Kona on Sunday afternoon, was located in good health the same day, the Hawaiʻi Police Department confirmed.

"The Hawai'i Police Department reports that 82-year-old Douglas Harper of Ocean View, who was previously reported missing, was located in Ocean View on Sunday March 22, 2026, in good health," HPD said in an updated release issued March 23. "Police thank the public for their assistance in locating Harper."

Harper had last been seen on foot near Lotus Blossom Lane and Mamalahoa Highway, the stretch of Highway 11 running through the Hawaii Ocean View Estates subdivision. HPD's initial release placed the last-seen time at 12:00, while a separate account reported he was seen at 1 p.m.; both place the sighting on Sunday afternoon in the same general area of Ocean View. At 6 feet tall and 140 pounds with short gray hair, Harper was wearing a tan-colored shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes when he disappeared.

HPD classified the case as missing and endangered in its initial March 22 release, prompting an immediate public appeal for information. Anyone who had spotted Harper was asked to call 911 or the Hawaiʻi Island police non-emergency line at 808-935-3311.

The confirmation that Harper had been found came early the following morning. HPD's updated release on March 23 stated he was recovered within Ocean View, the same Ka'ū community where he lives and where he was last seen walking.