HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
WEST HAWAII CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION SECTION
LIEUTENANT HENRY W. HICKMAN
PHONE: 326-4203
DECEMBER 2, 2003
H-72286
MEDIA RELEASE
Acting on an anonymous call, South Kohala officers Tuesday (December 2, 2003) discovered the body of what is believed to be a 75-year-old man at the bottom of Honokoa Gulch.
Responding to a 2:18 p.m. call, officers located the body of an elderly male below the makai side of the Honokoa Gulch bridge on Route 270 about a mile north of Kawaihae Harbor.
An investigation by West Hawaii Criminal Investigation Section detectives determined that the man had been dead for about 24 hours. The body was taken to the Kona Community Hospital.
Police have classified the case as a coronerÕs inquest and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
After a preliminary investigation, police said there was no evidence that the victim died of foul play, but that he may have fallen into the gulch.
Police have also have tentatively identified the victim, but are withholding his name pending positive identification.
Anyone with information about the manÕs death is asked to call Detective Juergen Canda of the West Hawaii CIS at 326-4230 or the police non-emergency number at 935-3311.
Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona. The numbers are answered 24 hours a day. Callers will be given a coded number and their identity will remain anonymous. Callers may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 if their call leads to an arrest, indictment or the recovery of property. Crime Stoppers neither subscribes to “Caller ID,” nor does it record phone calls.
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