HAWAII POLICE DEPARTMENT
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS SECTION, AREA I
LIEUTENANT RANDALL MEDEIROS
PHONE: 961-2252
JANUARY 24, 2007
REPORT NO. C07001878

MEDIA RELEASE (UPDATE)

Police have identified the man who apparently fell to his death in Opihikao on January 19, 2007, as 59 year-old Larry Holland of Westminster, California.  An autopsy performed Tuesday morning indicated that he died from injuries consistent with a fall from a height.

Puna Patrol officers responded to a reported missing person shortly after 7:00 a.m. at the steam vents area in Opihikao. A 46-year-old female visitor from Orange County, California, and Holland had gone to see the steam vents the previous day (January 18, 2007), when Holland had reportedly fallen down an embankment. The woman said the two got lost in the forest after darkness fell. They were trying to find their way back to their car when the the man fell. When daylight broke, the woman was able to walk out to the highway and flag down a motorist to summon assistance. 

Shortly after a search began by Hawaii Fire Departmental personnel, the body of the missing man was located at the bottom of an approximately 100-foot cliff. The victim was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. 

The incident has been classified as a public accident.

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