Teen Couple Vanished During Night Out on the Beach in Hawaii, Then Human Remains Were Found

"We don’t know what happened that night. ... The waves were huge," the families of Samantha Chun and Joey Fujioka said

Honolulu Police Department (2) From left: Samantha Chun and Joseph Fujioka

Honolulu Police Department (2)

From left: Samantha Chun and Joseph Fujioka
  • Samantha Chun and Joey Fujioka were last seen late on Friday, Jan. 17, and their personal belongings were found the next morning

  • Five days later, the Coast Guard said it had made the "difficult decision" to suspend its search for the teens

  • While the ocean waves were reportedly strong, their families said, “We don’t know what happened that night. We don’t know for sure they went into the water"

The Coast Guard has called off its search for a missing teenage couple believed to have gone swimming one night last week off of Oahu's North Shore in Hawaii.

Human remains have since been located, though they have not been identified.

Coast Guard officials made their announcement ending the search in a statement on Wednesday, Jan. 22, five days after Samantha Chun, 17, and 18-year-old Joey Fujioka were last seen.

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“Considering all pertinent factors and available information, we made the difficult decision to suspend our search efforts,” Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Rice, the search and rescue mission coordinator, said in the statement.

“We are grateful to our agency partners for their teamwork and extend our deepest condolences to Samantha and Joseph’s families during this difficult time,” Rice said.

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According to a Honolulu Police Department and a CrimeStoppers bulletin, the two teens were last seen buying items at a local convenience store on Friday, Jan. 17, about 9:54 p.m. local time.

Their belongings were discovered by relatives on Ke Iki Beach the next morning, the bulletin states: "Family and friends are concerned for their safety and well-being.”

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The Coast Guard said in its statement on Wednesday that the agency and its partner crews had covered 2,321 square nautical miles for over 54 combined hours in the search for Chun and Fujioka.

The two were dating, according to Hawaii News Now. Chun was a local hockey player, the news station reported. Family members said in a statement that "both kids were born and raised in Hawaii and know and love the ocean."

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Officials have said that it appears the couple was enjoying a night out together on the beach on Friday before they disappeared.

“They set up a blanket on the beach nearby where they parked and this blanket along with their cellular telephone, wallets, clothing, and other personal items were recovered from the beach,” police Lt. Deena Thoemmes said, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

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Thoemmes said that Fujioka's vehicle was also found nearby.

Foul play has not been dismissed as the investigation continues, the lieutenant said. The ocean waves were described as being very high both Friday and Saturday.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Honolulu Fire Department announced that authorities discovered human remains about 200 yards off Ke Iki Beach on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 18, Fox affiliate KHON reported.

“Just moments ago we received a report from the medical examiners office that those remains are in fact human and we have informed the family of such. We do not have confirmation though that those remains are related to this search effort,” said Jaimie Song, a fire captain.

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Song said Chun and Fujioka's families were informed about the discovery although the remains have not yet been positively identified, reported the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. (The Honolulu medical examiner did not immediately respond to a request for further information.)

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In their statement shared with Hawaii News Now, Chun and Fujioka's families thanked the rescue personnel and volunteers involved in the search.

“We don’t know what happened that night," the families said. "We don’t know for sure they went into the water. The waves were huge."

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