(BIVN) – A woman who was found dead in Hilo on Thursday morning is the victim of a homicide, police say.
The Hawaiʻi Police Department says it has initiated a murder investigation, and at this time, there is no indication connecting this homicide to the three murders in Puna.
From a police news release:
At 8:01 a.m., South Hilo patrol officers responded to Piopio Street in Hilo after a State of Hawaiʻi Parks Division employee found the unresponsive female. Upon observation, the female was not breathing and suffered injuries to her head and face consistent with being physically assaulted. She was transported to the Hilo Benioff Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 8:38 a.m.
Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section responded to the scene and assumed the investigation, which remains ongoing. An autopsy will be performed Friday, May 29, to determine the exact cause of death.
Piopio Street is the road that leads off Pauahi Street into the Hāmākua-side of the Wailoa River State Recreation Area, where the Wailoa Art Center and Hawaiʻi Veterans Memorial are located.
Police ask anyone who may have witnessed this incident to contact Detective Sybastian Keltner of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section, at (808) 961-2326, or via email at sybastian.keltner@hawaiipolice.gov. They can also contact the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000, police say. All Crime Stoppers information is confidential.
