Big Island police are looking into the death of a person whose body was found in the lower Puna subdivision of Kalapana Seaview Estates. The badly decomposed remains appear to be that of an elderly male.   

Patrol officers were dispatched to the Puna subdivision when a resident reported locating the remains on a parcel near his property. The body was located in the vicinity of a rustic cabin surrounded by waist-high vegetation.

The advanced stage of decomposition made it impossible to immediately identify the decedent. Other methods of identifying the remains will be used.

Detectives with the Criminal Investigations Section responded to the scene and are continuing the investigation.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday morning (April 22) to determine the exact cause of death. The case has been classified as a coroner's inquest.     

Police ask anyone with information on this case to call Detective Reed Mahuna at 961-2384 or the Police Department's non-emergency line at 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona. All calls to Crime Stoppers are kept confidential. 

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