Posted on 07/04/2018 6:03:16 AM PDT by sodpoodle
A missing person report was filed after 24-year-old Navy hospital corpsman Shaun Palmer failed to report for duty on Sunday. His mother says she plans to fly from California to help search for him.
A 24-year-old Navy hospital corpsman based at Kaneohe Bay remains missing for a third day, officials said, but the case took a turn when a Navy investigator said a text was sent today from his phone to his parents saying, “I love you and I’m alive.”
Seaman Shaun Palmer, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, was last seen early Sunday morning when a Marine he was with was involved in an altercation at Kelley O’Neil’s in Waikiki, the Marine Corps and family said.
Palmer failed to report for duty on Sunday, and on Monday was classified as being on “unauthorized absence.” “We are absolutely relieved to hear news of (Palmer) communicating with his parents,” Marine Corps Base Hawaii spokesman Capt. Eric Abrams said this afternoon. “At this point the command has still not made contact with the sailor, so we will continue to work with (the Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and local authorities until the situation is resolved.”
A missing person report was filed with the Honolulu Police Department and NCIS is investigating. Nayda Mannle, special agent in charge of the Hawaii field office for NCIS, said at a news conference today that Palmer’s parents had been texting him and the reply came back, “I love you and I’m alive.”
Palmer’s distraught mother had started a GoFundMe page to raise money to fly from California to search for him.
“I need to raise money for air fare to Hawaii and hotel,” Diane Unterein, who lives in Southern California, said on the GoFundMe page. “My son is a navy corpsman from Kaneohe Bay and has gone missing for the past 48 hours. I would like to fly to Hawaii to help the search … to help find my son.”
Although HPD, NCIS and the military are looking for Palmer, Unterein said “I’d like to be there, too, to help. I need to find my son.”
As of about 1:30 p.m. today, Unterein had raised $3,730 — exceeding her $2,000 goal. The GoFundMe fundraiser can be found here.
Unterein has tweeted about her son’s absence repeatedly for at least two days, asking for anyone’s help in locating him. She described him as 5-foot-eight, 170 pounds with blue eyes and a shaved head. “Please help me find my son,” his mother had posted on Twitter, adding that her son’s phone was dead and there has been no activity on his credit cards.
I pray that he is, but a phone call would seem more likely if so.
UCMJ, Article 86: Absence without leave
Happens every day.
Now they can track him via his cell phone.
I’d go and determine the last known ‘pinged’ location of the cellphone. Personally, I don’t believe the story, and someone sent the fake message to delay the search effort.
Correct about the text. It is from his phone. Way too short to assure his mother.
So where is this guy???
*****when a Marine he was with was involved in an altercation at Kelley O’Neil’s in Waikiki, the Marine Corps and family said.*****
For everyone’s sake, I hope they find the corpsman. I hope the text was genuine.
That’s what I was thinking. Why not a phone call? And it is odd that he would tell her he’s “alive”, unless there is some element this story has failed to convey.
Yeah I’m skeptical, but hope & pray he is alive.
Does anybody know this: If you’re a Navy corpsman, do you have to volunteer to be inserted into Marine Corps units to serve with them, or can you request to stay on board a ship or serve in a navy hospital?
In other words, are all those Navy Corpsmen volunteers who serve with Marines?
I agree. We’re told he was with another Marine, there was an altercation at a Waikiki bar, and then he doesn’t report for duty Sunday morning. Everything is about how upset his mother is (understandably).
What did his Marine buddy have to say? Employees or bar patrons say anything? Did whatever happen rise to calling the cops? Any video footage of his condition when or with whom he left the bar? Any taxis or Uber/Lyft drivers report him as a fare?
I’m reminded of the old Sherlock Holmes story: The Man with the Twisted Lip. I hope they can catch a break soon.
The mom is not entitled to a Hawaiian vacation. She should pay her own way as the man is AWOL.
At least he’s not a “corpseman”.
even if he is not AWOL, I am sick of people expecting other people to pay for their stuff!! Everyone has their hand out. Our neighbor has a GoFund Me page for her mystery illness.
Yes, I understand that, of course. I was just wondering what it takes for a corpsman to be assigned to a Marine Corps combat unit.
It would seem to me you’d have to be at the top of your class to get that difficult and challenging assignment.
Only for a Special Guy with balls of steel.
How absurd that a routine drunken weekend could result in such a kerfuffle.
This mama’s boy has been shamed like few others.
The man may be the victim of crime. Or may not. We don’t know. If nice people wish to contribute that’s fine. If you and others judge her not worthy of funds i understand the position. Since I served many years ago i see this as pretty common. But on Hawaii? Hard to hide on the islands? Maybe? IDK.
Call in Gibbs!
I’m going to start a gofundme for a hang nail. Geez, enough already with these.
That text smells like a big pile of week old Humuhumunukunukuapua.
You can’t be sure. Prayers for him.
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