Our missing families

It has been several years since the morning of May 25, 2011, when Lukh sisters—Faloma, 10, and Maleina, 9— disappeared while waiting for their bus ride at the corner culvert of As Teo family farm. They were going to the Kagman Elementary School. But they never appeared at the school. Supposedly, they were given a ride to school in a small pickup truck. But neither the small truck nor the two As Teo girls appeared at the school. There was a big search for several weeks conducted by many civilian volunteers, DPS, and FBI, FBI helicopter, but the searchers turned up nothing.

That was six years ago. These two school kids are not the only missing persons here on Saipan. There was an old man, either from Lagoon Chuuk (Faichuk) or one of the outer island atoll clusters of Chuuk, probably from Faraulep, who was working for my godfather, Dr. Jose Ada Torres. He said his name was Failap, which almost rhymed with Faschaulep, an atoll in Chuuk. One day, no one could find him, so the Insular Constabulary was alerted of a possible lost person. He probably went walking and couldn’t find his way back, losing his way around Chalan Kanoa and Susupe. So I joined the search and we went asking people if they had seen Failap, Dr. Torres’ help. Through the help of the residents on Texas Road near the cemetery, we decided to swing over to Lake Susupe. Residents there had begun to complain about bellowing or a loud moaning coming from the lake shore. Then they said that there was a real putrid, strange smell coming from lake. And the dogs were restless and wouldn’t stop barking. So we formed a flank and started walking into the carriso. The swamp was a bit dry and the ground hard, so we were able to walk farther in. That’s where we found Failap. Dead for several days. He leaned his head against a tree, and probably died afterward. The ambulance took him to the morgue.

The other lost person was my cousin Enrique Palacios Boyer of San Roque. He was never found. He used to frequent Pop Aldan’s pool hall on Beach Road Chalan Kanoa. One day, he simply disappeared into thin air.

Then there was David Borja delos Reyes (David Stein), of San Roque. He and a couple of his companions were out in the night hunting for goats on the Talofofo rocky plateau along the cliff line. According to his companions, he was chasing a goat and fell over the cliff into the rough swirling ocean. He just got swallowed up by the swirl and disappeared. Some searchers said he was probably dragged into the deep ocean by the undertow and couldn’t surface. David’s oldest brother, Jesse B. delos Reyes (Stein the boxer) came up from Guam for the search. He climbed down the cliff into the rough ocean, but after a while, he came up empty.

And then there were the seven boy scouts from San Antonio who went camping near Forbidden Island. They were standing at a submerged ledge when a big wave swamped them and pulled them into the water and they never came up for air. There were a lot of searchers there but couldn’t get into the water because of the strong undertow from the underwater ledge out into the deep ocean. The DPW’s M/V Olwol came around the Marpi bend with divers to assist. One diver found one of the scouts, my cousin, floating face down, and drowned. I think a “memorial” in memory of the seven scouts was put up by San Antonio commissioner Fernando Benavente.

Then there were the 13 fishermen who never came back from a fishing trip up north. They were never found. Forever lost. Ai, ta tayuyuti i Saina ya u na tungu hit, masea i antin niha i los pobres man malingo, amano nai man gaige. Mis amigitos y las santa niñas, donde están ustedes?

Rudy M. Sablan
Garapan, Saipan