Veteran found dead on honeymoon in Hawaii
His wife says he went for a hike and never came back.
The body of a Navy veteran who went missing while on his Hawaiian honeymoon was found Friday, authorities said.
Maui police said a volunteer found the body of Stephen Kramar, 27, on a hillside a half-mile from the resort where he and his bride were staying on the island of Molokai.
Kramar, a Maryland native, and his wife, Jeffanie, arrived in Hawaii hours after their Sept. 8 nuptials. On Tuesday morning, he left to scout a hiking trail to make sure it was safe for the couple and never made it back to the hotel.
Locals have said the area is a dangerous place for hiking for those not familiar with it.
"He's a very avid hiker,” Jeffanie Kramar told Washington's FOX 5 before learning of her husband's death. “He's hiked 14,000-foot mountains. He's very extreme, but he knows what he's doing. He was in the military. He served in the Navy for almost three years so he's trained and experienced.”
"He said if you don't hear back from me around 6 o'clock, 7 o'clock, then you should be worried," she said.
"He said if you don't hear back from me around 6 o'clock, 7 o'clock, then you should be worried."
Hawaii News Now reported that Jeffanie Kramar said her husband left around 9:30 a.m. and that she received a text message from him at 2:30 p.m. stating that he was on his way back.
“Travel is slow but I'm on my way back,” the message read.
She never heard from him again.
Stephen Kramar went missing Tuesday after leaving his hotel to scout out a hiking trail in Hawaii for him and his new wife. (GoFundMe)
After reporting him missing, authorities launched an air and land search consisting of helicopter and K-9 units along with volunteers.
Jeffanie told FOX 5 the couple was planning to move to McLean, Va., when they returned from their two-week-long honeymoon.
Kramar’s body was identified by family members. An autopsy will be scheduled to determine the cause of death.
A GoFundMe page set up to help pay for Jeffanie Kramar has raised over $16,000 as of Sunday.
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