For Jessi Colter, every minute now feels like an hour. Every ring that doesn’t come is another silent scream.

Her son, Shooter Jennings, was vacationing with his wife and children in Hawaii when the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the Russian coast this week — triggering a Pacific-wide tsunami warning. Waves over 10 feet high slammed into Hawaii’s coastlines. And since that moment, Jessi has not heard a word from her son.

Now, as the world watches images of devastation from Maui and Hilo, Jessi is praying, pacing, and holding on to hope — but her heart is breaking.

🏝️ A Family Trip Turned Nightmare

Shooter Jennings, 46, known not just as the son of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter but as an acclaimed musician in his own right, had taken a short vacation to Maui with his wife, Misty Swain, and their two young children, Waylon Albert and Belle.

It was meant to be a peaceful retreat — a rare pause in a busy touring year. According to sources close to the family, the Jennings were staying in a coastal bungalow on the northwestern side of the island, just steps away from the water.

But when the tsunami sirens blared on Tuesday evening, everything changed.

Emergency services began issuing evacuation orders. Power flickered out in some areas. Communications collapsed as phone lines and mobile towers were overwhelmed or damaged by the incoming waves.

“They were last seen checking into a resort near Napili,” a family friend told Newsline Nashville. “They posted a picture of the sunset just a few hours before the alert hit. And then… nothing.”

💬 Jessi’s Heartbreaking Message

Back in Arizona, Jessi Colter has remained glued to the news. At 81, the country legend has weathered storms of her own — losing her husband, surviving the rise and fall of outlaw country, even battling personal illness. But nothing prepared her for this.

She took to her personal social media early Wednesday with a message that stunned her fans:

“Please… if anyone has seen Shooter or his family in Maui, let us know. I haven’t heard from my son. My grandchildren. My daughter-in-law. I’m praying, but I’m breaking inside.”

Within hours, her post was shared over 80,000 times. Fans and friends alike — from music industry icons to everyday strangers — offered their prayers, contact info, and help.

Hashtags like #FindShooter and #PrayersForJessi began trending across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

🌀 The Search Continues

As of this morning, local officials confirmed that several parts of Maui remain unreachable due to flooding, debris, and collapsed infrastructure. FEMA teams and local search-and-rescue squads have been deployed across multiple islands, with priority placed on missing-person reports.

The resort believed to have hosted the Jennings family was directly in the tsunami impact zone. No fatalities have been reported there, but communications remain down, and evacuations are ongoing.

“The good news is that we haven’t found signs of destruction in that region,” said a Hawaii Emergency Management spokesperson. “The bad news is — we also haven’t been able to reestablish contact.”

Authorities added that dozens of families remain unaccounted for simply due to communication issues, not confirmed injuries or deaths.

But for Jessi, that distinction offers little comfort.

“I just want to hear his voice. Or know that the children are safe. That Misty’s holding them. That Shooter’s holding her,” she reportedly told a friend.

“I don’t need them to be on TV. I just need them to come home.”

🧒 Her Grandchildren — Her Whole World

Jessi Colter has long spoken of the deep bond she shares with Shooter and her grandchildren. In interviews, she often recalls cooking for them, singing lullabies, and watching them dance barefoot in the Arizona sun — a second chance at family peace, after decades of touring storms and painful loss.

“She tells them stories about Waylon,” said a close family friend. “She teaches them songs that Shooter grew up hearing. It’s three generations tied together by love, music, and grace.”

The thought of them possibly in danger is too much for her to bear.

🎶 Music on Hold, Prayers on Repeat

Jessi was reportedly working on a small recording project this summer — a spiritual folk album with Shooter helping behind the scenes. But that’s all been put on hold.

In the last 48 hours, she has reportedly canceled all commitments, choosing instead to wait by the phone, refresh emergency updates, and speak with authorities.

Close friends say she hasn’t slept much. But she still sings quietly to herself, repeating the words to “Storms Never Last”, the song she wrote decades ago — the one that carried her through Waylon’s addiction, and now through the silence of not knowing.

🌍 A Mother’s Fear, A Nation’s Hope

The story has captured national attention — not just because of Shooter Jennings’ fame, or Jessi Colter’s legendary status — but because it is, at its core, a story every mother understands: waiting, worrying, and whispering hope into a phone that won’t ring.

From Nashville to Honolulu, from Twitter to CNN, the world is watching.

Not for headlines — but for a reunion.

“Come home, son,” Jessi wrote again this morning.

“Come home. Mama’s waiting.”

If news breaks, this story will be updated.

For now, the world holds its breath with Jessi Colter.