12-28-21 (Update) Victim Identified in Possible Kalapana Drowning

By Denise Laitinen | Published: December 28, 2021

Hawai‘i Police Department
Puna Patrol
Captain Scott Amaral
Phone: (808) 965-2716
Report No.: 21-109697

Media Release

Hawai‘i Island police have identified the victim of a possible drowning that occurred in the Kalapana area on Christmas day, as 41-year-old Oscar Odom of Puna. Odom had recently moved to the Puna district from Alaska.

On Saturday, December 25, 2021, at 1:00 p.m., officers responded to a report of a swimmer in distress along the coastline in Kalapana. Hawaii Fire Department rescue personnel extracted the swimmer from the ocean and began cardio-pulmonary resuscitation along with County of Hawaii lifeguards however, attempts to resuscitate Odom at the scene were unsuccessful.

Police have initiated a coroner’s inquest investigation and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.

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