Police seek public help to find missing Pāhoa boy, 11

Puna families were being asked to stay alert for an 11-year-old boy missing from the Nanawale area near Pāhoa after police said Waylon Kealoha was reported missing and classified as endangered because of his age.

Kealoha was last seen around 7:20 p.m. Sunday, May 10, in the 14-3500 block of Kahoolawe Road. Hawaii Police Department described him as 4 feet 8 inches tall, about 85 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. By the next day, authorities were asking the public for help tracking where he went after that last sighting.

Police believed Kealoha may have run away, but the endangered designation reflects how quickly a child that age can be placed in danger, especially in a rural part of the island where neighborhoods, vacant lots and thick vegetation can make it harder to keep track of a child’s movements. The state’s child-safety framework treats those cases as urgent because missing youth can face exposure, dehydration, traffic danger and exploitation if time passes before they are found.

Residents in Pāhoa, Nanawale and nearby parts of the Puna District were being told to watch for Kealoha himself or for any fresh sightings tied to the Kahoolawe Road area. Police were relying on neighborhood tips, vehicle observations and any other information that could narrow the search, and anyone with a lead was urged to call 911 or the police non-emergency line right away. In a spread-out community like Puna, even a small detail can move a search from uncertainty to a confirmed location.

The case also fits a pattern Hawaii Island police have used in other runaway reports involving children. In a recent case, 13-year-old Kymahni Mata was also described as endangered because of his age before he was later found in Hilo in good health. The state’s Missing Child Center-Hawaii serves as the missing-children clearinghouse and resource center, and Attorney General guidance says families should work with law enforcement to enter a child into NCIC and provide a recent photo as soon as possible.

Police have also recently renewed requests for information in the missing Pāhoa case of Kelly Gravitt, underscoring how often island officers turn to the public when someone disappears in the Puna area. In Kealoha’s case, the first hours mattered most, and every credible sighting from the Kahoolawe Road corridor could still make the difference.