Missing Aneityum Man

The man chopping meat in the photo above has been missing on Aneityum for over three weeks now. It is assumed he is dead now. He was a very familiar face in my village and the entire community is mourning his loss now.

He was last seen drinking kava in the main village of Anelcauhat. After drinking a few shells, he stopped by a local store and bought a can of soda before beginning his 30 minute walk home. The walk to his house is an easy walk, following a sandy beach the entire way. Other men who left the nakamal that night and followed the same path saw no sign of him.

The following day his children became worried when he did not show up. Some villagers believed that perhaps he slept in another house whilst drunk or got up very early before sunrise and went to the garden. One full day passed before some village children found the missing man's pants, with his mobile phone and over $80 in the pocket, along with the unopened can of soda by the side of the river.

It is assumed that he took off his clothes to swim in the river before continuing his walk home. There are some deep pools in the river, but the main crossing is only knee deep. Anyhow, there are theories that perhaps the kava effected him especially hard when he started swimming and he drowned, his body being swept out to sea. Or perhaps that he had a heart attack or stroke. Or even that someone murdered him using black magic.

The community searched for his body, diving in the sea and searching in the bush for 2 and a half weeks. No trace of his body was found. The community formally sat down and started grieving for his loss last week. Only his sons continue searching for his remains.