Man who went missing on Stairway To Heaven hiking trail took chilling photo which may explain his disappearance

A chilling photo from a missing man could hold a clue into his fateful disappearance.

Daylenn Pua had gone hiking up a set of steps in Hawaii - which was known as the Haiku Stairs and the 'Stairway to Heaven' - when he disappeared in February 2015.

The steps were built in World War Two to provide access to US navy communication facilities on the island of Oahu.

This was constructed following concern for Hawaii after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, which brought the US into the war.

The war may be long over, but the 3,922 steps are still intact, though hikers are not allowed to attempt them.

But that doesn't stop foolhardy people from attempting to tackle the steps, including Pua.

Pua was speaking to his grandmother and told her about his plans to attempt the stairway. However, his grandmother warned him not to, as access to the path was barred to the general public.

Family Handout

There was also a fine in place which anybody caught on the path would have to pay.

But like many other people who attempt the path, Pua was not deterred by this and set off all the same on 27 February, 2015.

He set off up the stairway, and despite sending pictures of the view and the scenery to his family, he was never seen again.

When Pua didn't return home, an enormous search party was launched to find him, including US navy drones.

Among the evidence was the photos he had sent to his family while on the hike.

This is where things get creepy.

That's because when you zoom in on the photos, you can clearly make out the figure of someone - or something - crouching down in the undergrowth.

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It's not known who this person was, or why they were in that location.

It could be something innocuous like a fellow hiker relieving themselves in the bushes, but it could also point to something far more sinister.

There's no mistaking it either, there is very clearly a figure crouching in the pictures.

Pua has now been missing for seven years, and what happened to him remains a mystery.

As he was never found, there's no way to know if he is alive or dead, and if he has died then what caused his death.

But it difficult not to creeped out by the sight of the mysterious figure following him up the stairway on a hike from which he would never return.

Could it have something to do with his disappearance?