Laura Vogel

Vogel, circa 2010

  • Missing Since 02/21/2010
  • Missing From Haiku, Hawaii
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 12/18/1966 (58)
  • Age 43 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'8, 135 - 145 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A dusky blue t-shirt and dark gray sweatpants.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Vogel was in excellent physical condition at the time of her disappearance.

Details of Disappearance

Vogel went on a camping trip below the Haiku Community Center in Haiku, Hawaii in February 2010. She had visited the area many times, but never camped overnight there before. She was last heard from on February 21.

A friend got a text message from her phone, saying, "I'm camped down the way from birthing pools and meeting all the locals." However, none of the people in that area, including the campers, remembered having seen her. Vogel, a self-employed tutor, was supposed to be at a tutoring session at 9:00 a.m. on February 22, but she never arrived. She has never been heard from again.

A few days after her disappearance, broken parts of Vogel's phone, along with her slipper, were found along the cliffs at the birthing pools. Searchers also found her van at a homeless camp near the Pauwela Lighthouse. The van had the keys inside it and the the driver's door was open. Vogel's surfboards and laptop computer were in the car, but her wallet was missing.

The last two calls placed from Vogel's phone were at 8:15 and 8:19 p.m. on the night of her disappearance, and each lasted less than a second. The number belonged to a transient man whose campsite was near where Vogel's van was later found. She had never called that number before the night of her disappearance.

Authorities determined the man the number belonged to was fishing with some other transient people about half a mile east of Vogel's van on the night of her disappearance. He denied having been involved in her case and took a polygraph, but authorities stated he was uncooperative during the exam and it was incomplete. Police searched his campsite and vehicle and found nothing of interest. This man is considered a person of interest in Vogel's case.

Although there is no hard evidence of foul play in Vogel's case, police consider her disappearance suspicious and her family fears she met with foul play. She enjoys many outdoor pursuits, including camping, hiking and surfing, and is described as a responsible woman with no history of leaving without warning.

Vogel is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She graduated from New Mexico State University with a master's degree in wildlife biology, and formerly worked as a science teacher and girls' soccer coach at a high school in New Mexico. Her case remains unsolved.

Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 7, 2021; details of disappearance updated.