In a recent report from the Hawaii Police Department, officials provided identification details for the man whose body was retrieved from a riverbed in Ninole. The individual has been confirmed as Andrew Jeffrey Salonia, a 35-year-old resident of Hilo. According to the Hawaii Police Department, Salonia's body was found on September 22, after he had gone missing the previous day.
Officials initiated the missing person’s case on the evening of September 21 when Salonia's employer reported not seeing him since that afternoon. The deceased was last observed perched on the edge of an 80-foot waterfall, despite warnings about the danger due to his inebriated state. After having completed his yard maintenance work, the employer searched for Salonia around the property, but to no avail. After failing to locate Salonia, he drove to Hilo and reported him missing, the investigation progressed into the night with the hinderance of obvious safety concerns for rescue personnel, as reported by the Hawaii Police Department.
The employer, alongside detectives, discovered Salonia submerged in the riverbed beneath the waterfall on the following morning. The Hawaii Fire Department later retrieved his body, which was then handed over to the authorities for further examination. The autopsy conducted on September 24 indicated drowning as the cause of death, though the full closure of the investigation awaits a toxicology report, as per the Hawaii Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Kimo Keli’ipa’akaua of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2375, or email at [email protected].
