A grim discovery in a Waimea stream has prompted a coroner’s inquest on Hawaiʻi Island after severely decomposed human remains were found Tuesday morning, with police now working to learn who the person was and how they ended up in the water.
What Police Found
At 9:29 a.m., South Kohala patrol officers responded to a report of a body in a stream near the 65-1200 block of Kawaihae Road. When they arrived, officers located the remains in a shallow stream close to the intersection of Kawaihae Road and Hawaiʻi Belt Road, according to a media release from the Hawaiʻi Police Department. Police said the body was in an advanced state of decomposition.
“An autopsy has been ordered to determine the decedent’s identity, sex, and cause of death,” the department said in its release, noting that positive identification is still pending. Investigators have opened a coroner’s inquest and assigned Report No. 26-055247 as detectives continue their preliminary inquiry into the case.
How Investigators Handle Recovered Remains
When remains are recovered in water or in remote areas, Hawaiʻi Island police typically secure the scene, open a coroner’s inquest, and request an autopsy along with toxicology testing to establish both identity and cause of death. In a 2017 case in which a decomposed body was discovered at Kalapana Gardens, detectives secured the difficult terrain and requested an autopsy as part of standard procedure, Big Island Video News reported.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Cacique Melendez of the Area II Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 326-4646, extension 3262, or by email at [email protected]. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300. Officials said the person’s identity will be released once the remains are positively identified and family has been notified.
