Abigail Bernstein and her two young sons have been missing since October 2022, when they departed from Honolulu, Hawaii, aboard a sailboat for what was planned as a year-long voyage.
Bernstein, who was 32 at the time, was last seen leaving Ala Wai Boat Harbor with her sons, Koa Kai, then eight, and Kush Kahole, then six, according to federal authorities.
The family had arranged to travel with Captain Donald Steven Lang, who was then 62, after Bernstein met him through Workaway, a website that connects people offering help with hosts providing accommodation.
She had reportedly agreed to assist with work on Lang’s 52-foot sailing vessel, the Ishi, in exchange for housing during the trip.
Family Failed to Return After Planned Voyage
When Bernstein and the children did not return in 2023, the US Coast Guard was notified, prompting authorities to investigate their disappearance.
At the time, FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill said Bernstein had lived a nomadic lifestyle and had separated herself from relatives before going to sea.
He said interviews and intelligence gathered during the investigation suggested she might have been living independently and relying on the land somewhere in Hawaii.
Bernstein is also known by several other names, including Abi, Avi, Avigayil, Abigayil and Ovi. Authorities have identified connections to Naples, Florida; Petoskey, Michigan; and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as they continue efforts to establish where she and her children may have gone.
Captain Charged in Separate Child Sexual Abuse Cases
The investigation took another turn after federal authorities announced that Lang had been arrested over allegations involving sexually explicit images of a minor aboard the Ishi.
An indictment alleges that Lang coerced a minor into engaging in sexually explicit conduct between September and December 2024 to produce images intended for transmission.
The alleged activity took place aboard the sailing vessel, which had frequently been docked in Hawaii.
Lang, a Canadian-American dual citizen, had also faced charges in Idaho in 2025 over alleged child sexual abuse said to have occurred between 2003 and 2007.
Those charges included three counts of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 and one count of sexual battery.
Sailboat Seized During Federal Investigation
Authorities took the Ishi into federal custody in August following an extensive search.
Lang had reportedly last been seen aboard the vessel in January and had himself been reported missing in January 2023.
The 63-year-old now faces a possible prison sentence of up to 30 years in connection with the federal case involving the alleged production of sexually explicit images of a minor.
The charges against Lang are separate from the investigation into Bernstein and her sons, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
FBI Announces $10,000 Reward for Information
The disappearance has received renewed attention following its inclusion in a recent episode of the Unsolved Mysteries series.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to the safe recovery of Bernstein and her two children.
Anyone who may have information about the family is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip through tips.fbi.gov.
The Daily Mail has also contacted the FBI’s Honolulu office for further information about the case.
