Calvin Isaac Danian was 20 when he left Grand Rapids, Michigan, in September 2020. His family says he had grown increasingly paranoid during the pandemic and told them of a sudden opportunity to go to Hawaii; he left while they were away and his car was later found at Gerald R. Ford airport. Flight records place him in Kona on September 7, 2020.

In Hawaii he became involved with an online figure known as Matthew Mellow, also using the name Mortekai Eleazar, who was recruiting young men for a voyage to the South Pacific. Danian and another young man, Shukree Abdul-Rashed, joined a sailboat called Zulu Time, captained by Mike Schmidt, and sailed from Hawaii. The last contact with Danian was October 4, 2020, when he told his mother he was off the grid and might be out of touch for a month.

The voyage ended in late November 2020 in Wallis and Futuna. On November 27 or 28 the two men reportedly jumped from the boat while navigating a narrow channel, allegedly fearful of COVID-19 testing on shore; the captain said he could not turn back and lost sight of them. A French-led inquiry considered drowning the most probable outcome, but no remains, phone activity, or financial traces have been found. Does anyone with knowledge of the Zulu Time voyage or the people involved have information that could help clarify what happened?