2 missing in E. Maui

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HANA - Longtime Hana community leader, Realtor and former Maui News community correspondent Carl Lindquist and his wife, Rae, have been reported missing after the wreckage of their car was found in a Hana streambed, police said Saturday evening.

The vehicle apparently was swept into the stream after a heavy rainstorm on Thanksgiving Day.

A Hana resident found the couple's car in a streambed half a mile from Ulaino Road, police said. A land and sea search did not locate the Lindquists, both 75 years old, who were reported missing at 11 a.m. Saturday. A search was continuing, police said.

The Lindquists were last seen on Thanksgiving around 9:30 p.m. after they finished dinner at the Hotel Hana-Maui, police said.

On their way to their Ulaino Road residence, "it is believed that their vehicle was swept into the streambed by the water, which was caused by heavy rains," a police news release said. "When the vehicle was found, it was heavily damaged."

Police and firefighters searched the area near where the car was found, and an air search of the Hana coastline was conducted by the Maui Fire Department's Air One helicopter.

Carl Lindquist owns Hana Coast Realty and has been a prominent member of the Hana community for decades. He's also a former manager of the Hotel Hana-Maui.

Mayor Charmaine Tavares said she was saddened to hear the Lindquists were missing.

"I hope for the best as our police and community continue the search for Carl and Rae. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their family."

Maui County Council Member Bill Medeiros said Carl Lindquist is well known for his work in the community, including as a member of Gov. Linda Lingle's Maui advisory committee.

"They have been very good for our community," Medeiros said. "Carl gets involved with a lot of things that benefit the community, whether it's the taro festival or the Aloha Festivals."

Medeiros said Carl Lindquist most recently was working with him on a committee to develop affordable housing for senior citizens in Hana.

Dawn Lono, who works as an aide to Medeiros in Hana and as a Realtor with Hana Coast Realty, said that the Lindquists had Thanksgiving dinner at Hotel Hana-Maui and were walked out to their car by a hotel employee.

"She had offered them a room because the weather was really bad," Lono said. "It was raining torrentially. . . . There was thunder and lightning."

Nevertheless, the Lindquists drove home, and no one heard from them Friday, which was unusual because the couple usually kept in regular contact with friends and co-workers, she said.

Lono said that the Lindquists' car, a Ford Expedition, was found in Honomaele River.

"It's just mangled," she said, fighting back tears. "They were not in the car. There was no sign of them in the car."

Lono said she and her husband searched the riverbanks. She estimated that the vehicle was found more than 50 yards from where the river enters the ocean.

"We couldn't find any sign of them," she said. "The helicopter searched all along the coastline."

Lono said that the Lindquists play valuable roles in the community of Hana.

"They're both irreplaceable to the Hana community," she said. "I hope they will be found. Please send out your prayers."

* Brian Perry can be reached at citydesk@mauinews.com.