Hwa was last seen at the St. Mary Visitor Center in Glacier National Park in Montana on August 11, 2008. This was the first day of his planned hundred-mile hike through the park. He had planned to make the trip with his wife, but she had a family emergency so he went alone. Hwa was carrying a dark blue Kelty backpack, trekking poles and other hiking equipment. His itinerary included the Floral Park area, Gunsight Pass trail, Highline trail to Goat Haunt, and Goat Haunt to Kintla Lake. His hike was supposed to end at Kintla Lake on August 18, but he never arrived there and has never been heard from again. His car was found in the parking lot at the Logan Pass Visitor Center. It still contained the food, maps and supplies he planned to pick up at the midpoint of his trip.

An extensive search of the park turned up no indication of Hwa's whereabouts, and other hikers along his planned route said they hadn't seen him. He was a resident of Kentucky in 2008, and a student at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is an experienced and enthusiastic hiker who had previously hiked on Isle Royale in Michigan, in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, on the Big Island of Hawaii, through the Great Smoky Mountains and on the Appalachian Trail. He was born in Malaysia and his parents still live there. His case remains unsolved.