Elmer Lee Stevens was 74 and living with mental illness and homelessness in Lahaina when the August 2023 wildfire destroyed much of the town. He was a familiar presence on the streets, beaches and in Lahaina’s parks and had stayed intermittently with a son, Jedidiah, and briefly with a daughter earlier in 2023. Reports differ on his last confirmed sighting — some place him with family or friends on August 8, 2023, the day the fire began, while other information indicates he was known to be in the Lahaina Town area as early as June.

The fire consumed many of the places he frequented. Extensive searches by the Maui Police Department turned up no trace of him, and his disappearance remained unresolved while his wife, Tau Tala Tala Ponali, was confirmed killed in the blaze. With no evidence he left the island and after months without results, his six children petitioned the Second Circuit Court on Maui in January 2025 to have him declared legally deceased to help settle estate and disaster-related matters.

Anyone who knew Elmer, his routines in Lahaina, or his contacts in those months is asked to come forward with information.