Big Island missing person investigated as murder-suicide

HONOLULU (KHON2) – A missing person on the Big Island is now being investigated as a murder-suicide, according to Big Island police.

Officials said the 38-year-old Keaau woman was reported missing on May 21 by her boyfriend and had not been seen for about a week.

The case took a turn just before 4 p.m. on May 23 when police executed a search warrant at a home in Keaau.

When the members of the Criminal Investigation Division of Area I identified themselves, a loud “pop” was heard from inside the house, which sounded like a gunshot.

HPD said Special Response and Crisis Negotiation Teams were activated due to the assumption that someone was armed and barricaded.

Officers entered the residence to find a male deceased suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

In a final autopsy, the body was positively identified as the missing person’s boyfriend, a 38-year-old Keaau man.

After securing the scene, police found information that led them to check on the missing woman’s body in a vacant, undeveloped lot.

On May 23, HPD said police discovered the body in advanced stages of decomposition and recovered the remains the next morning, May 24.

A medical examiner performed an autopsy on the remains on May 31 and concluded that the woman died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Police ruled the death a homicide and later positively identified the body as the missing 38-year-old Keaau woman.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Big Island police at (808) 961-2381 or call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 to remain anonymous.