The Hawai'i Island police have successfully determined the identity of the second woman found amidst the remnants of the collapsed banyan tree in Hilo. The woman was identified via DNA analysis as Michelle Katrina Noelani Comer, aged 48, from Kea’au, according to Hawaiʻi Police Department from the local authorities.
Comer's remains, discovered in the wake of the fallen tree on July 20, brought to a close the eerie silence that had settled over the island community in the days following the incident. Held on July 22, autopsies confirmed that both Comer and the first identified victim, 35-year-old Trisha Almazan, also from Kea’au, died due to mechanical asphyxiation and classified the manner of their deaths as accidental.
Detective Sy Keltner of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section, who is leading the investigation, encourages anyone with pertinent information to come forward. Having talked to middle-aged residents, it appeared that some on Kilauea Avenue had suspected the banyan's structural integrity before its collapse. Keltner can be reached at (808) 961-2378 or through emailing [email protected]. Alternatively, the police department’s non-emergency number is (808) 935-3311.
