Scientist missing en route to Hawaii
By Debbie Hummel
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY » Piotr Drabik is described as a gifted scientist, a 34-year-old Pole temporarily working in Canada who enjoys martial arts, mountain climbing and yachting.
So where is he?
On Sept. 1, Drabik was supposed to fly to Salt Lake City, switch planes and travel to Hawaii. Authorities believe he landed here from Edmonton, Alberta, but then the trail turns cold.
The National Institute of Nanotechnology at the University of Alberta expected him back within two weeks. Authorities were told of his disappearance Sept. 26, making it difficult for police to quickly gather airline records.
Several law enforcement agencies, including police at Salt Lake City International Airport, are investigating the disappearance or assisting in the case, airport spokeswoman Barbara Gann said yesterday.
"The airport was apparently the last known place that he was," she said.
Drabik arrived in Salt Lake City on SkyWest Airlines Flight 3828 and was scheduled to depart to Honolulu on Delta Air Lines Flight 1825, Gann said.
Airport police are checking to see if he could have taken any other flight on other airlines to other locations, Gann said.
According to friends of Drabik, he was headed to climb cliffs on Molokai, said Sgt. Ken Prather, of the Maui County police's criminal investigation division.
Some of the island's treacherous sea cliffs rise up more than 1,000 feet from the water below.
However, Drabik did not use his Delta boarding pass to get on the second leg of the flight to Honolulu. And investigators have not found any evidence of him traveling to the island using local ferries, commercial airlines or private flights, he said.
"Based upon his last known location, he's in Utah," Prather said.
Checks of local hospitals, hotels and rental-car agencies have turned up no sign of Drabik, who has not used his credit card since before his disappearance. The Polish Consulate in Los Angeles is aware of the case, said Dariusz Dobrowolski, head of legal affairs.
A friend of Drabik, Pawel Brzeminski, said he took Drabik to the airport and believes his friend has gotten hurt or lost in Hawaii.
Brzeminski said Drabik was excited about the trip and had spent a lot of time planning it.
"He wanted to traverse one of the islands through the jungle," Brzeminski said.
He said Drabik had a lot of experience hiking and climbing but not much experience in a jungle environment. He said that is where he thinks his friend might have gotten into trouble.