A tragedy occurred in Ninole, Hawai‘i Island, where police recovered the body of a man from a riverbed beneath an 80-foot waterfall. The man, believed to be a missing employee last seen by his employer on Saturday, was found submerged in the water.
According to a report by the Hawaii Police Department, the initial missing person investigation was launched at approximately 8:44 p.m. on Saturday, after the man's employer reported his absence. The employee, a 35-year-old man from Hilo, apparently ignored several warnings about sitting on the waterfall's edge while intoxicated. After completing yard maintenance, the employer could not locate the man on the property or in the nearby waterfall area.
Search efforts by North Hilo patrol officers were suspended due to the dangers of a nighttime search. The next day, Sunday, employees and Area I Criminal Investigation Section detectives found the man's body around 10:40 a.m.
The Hawaii Police Department press release detailed that Hawaii Fire Department rescue personnel retrieved the body from about 6 feet under water. Subsequently, the victim was taken to the Hilo Benioff Medical Center for death pronouncement. In the ongoing investigation, police have initiated a coroner’s inquest and ordered an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death. The victim's identity will be disclosed post-positive identification and notification of next of kin.
Authorities are urging anyone with information related to the incident to contact Detective Kimo Keli’ipa’akaua of the Area I Criminal Investigations Section at (808) 961-2375 or via email at [email protected].
