Belongings of missing man found as search continued over weekend

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The young man, 34-year-old Suatipatipa Iosefa Su’a, has been missing since last week, Wednesday, December 13, 2023. He is a Veteran Airman, according to a reliable source. 

It was reported that on December 13, 2023, a family car driven by Suatipatipa was reported by Vaitogi security around 6pm to have been parked in the area since 2 pm. Due to severe weather conditions that night, police officers were unable to investigate the area due to safety concerns.

The following morning, December 14, 2023, a family member found his belongings (shoes, vape, and car key) at the edge of the cliffs. It was at this time that the family requested to activate the search for the missing young man.

The family was told by police officers the previous night that they would have to wait 24 hours before the search could begin.

However, upon finding his belongings, the Department of Search and Rescue Team was informed to begin their search that morning (Thursday). Posts on social media requested help from the community to locate him. 

The search ended around 4pm on the first day and the family was updated by Captain Ina Ulberg (head of the Search and Rescue Team at Sea) at around 5 pm with their findings. Captain Ulberg reported to the family that during the first dive, the divers found brown shorts with a belt attached. 

During the second dive in the same area (where they found the pair of shorts) located at about 80 feet deep, they encountered a drop that was too deep — to where they could see fish and nothing else.

Captain Ulberg stated he also contacted a friend who was flying a commercial aircraft to and from Samoa and requested that he keep an eye out for any objects in the sea. Unfortunately, nothing was found.

Suatipatipa’s mother was asked to verify if the shorts belonged to her son, so as to confirm his body was in the ocean. The grieving mother was able to confirm that the shorts belonged to him.

It was a heartbreaking moment for the devastated mother and family who had been on the scene since 6 am. Captain Ulberg explained, due to the fact that the search started late, it made it even more difficult for them in their search as the currents could possibly cause his body to drift into the deep open ocean. The Captain also shared that any search after more than five hours of a person missing at sea would usually be too late for them to uncover any additional belongings.

However, he assured the grieving mother and family that the search will continue for the next few days.

On Friday, December 15, 2023, the Search and Rescue Team at Sea began their search at around 10:30 am and ended their search before 3pm. Two of the divers that were part of the team were too exhausted to continue for the day. Unfortunately, there were no new updates.

One of the search and rescue boats searching offshore from Vaitogi for signs of missing man Suatipatipa Su'a. [courtesy photo]

Family and friends were reported to have been there at the site, praying for their loved one and also for those who were on the Search and Rescue Teams.

The search for Suatipatipa continued on Saturday, December 16, 2023, beginning around 8am and ended towards the evening (around 5:30pm) without any new information.

Family and friends continued to remain hopeful and waited for additional news throughout the day despite the bad weather causing rough seas that plagued the Search & Rescue Team’s efforts.

The search using divers has continued into Tuesday —and until further notice.