Wednesday, July 16, 1997
What ever happened to Michael Cannon, the 18-year-old Kahala resident who disappeared while hiking Tantalus on Christmas Day 1966? Missing hiker case
from ’66 still openThe fate of Cannon remains a mystery.
Although there have been no recent developments, the case remains open, said missing persons specialist Joe Self of the Honolulu Police Department.
The disappearance of Cannon, part heir to a $5.5 million estate, prompted one of the most expensive and extensive missing person searches in state history. Cannon's mother, Elsa, funded a search that lasted for months and employed national and international help. Efforts to find her missing son included importing specially trained search dogs from Canada and professional mountaineers from California.
She also solicited the help of map-reading mystics and psychics from as far as Ireland and the Netherlands.
As director of the Windward Volunteer Rescue, Richard Davis dedicated some 600 hours searching for the missing hiker.
"I almost lost my job because of the search," said Davis, who was working as an administrator at Fort Shafter. "It was quite an experience."
Davis said his discovery of a T-shirt belonging to Cannon months after the search began may be the only clue left by the missing hiker.
By Neal Iwamoto, Star-Bulletin