Mahalo to Lt. Mitchell Kanehailua, who is helping me obtain information regarding the island’s unsolved murders.  Along with publishing it here on my blog, I’m planning to use the information when I launch a new series entitled, “The Lost Files,” for one of our island’s news publications.  I will let you know when the first article is to appear.  For now, though, following is a list of Puna’s unsolved murders to date.  Lt. Kanehailua tells me that Puna has more unsolved murders — or “homicides” as he refers to them — than the other districts, at 13. Â
ALANI, Clayton                09-12-97
CARREIRO, Joey           11-27-76
DAY, Tom                         01-05-71    Â
DAY, Wendy                   01-05-71
GUERRERO, Glenn         08-12-96
KAMMERER, John          03-17-94
KOKUBUN, Richard         01-05-71
KURZ, Erika                     08-10-91
LAGASCA, Aquido         02-11-76
MARTIN, Darlene           05-07-96
SMYKLO, Nimfa           07-09-97
WARSHAY, Valeri         06-26-78
WOLSK, Phillip             04-23-80
 Anyone with information about any one of these unsolved murders should immediately call police at (808) 935-3311 or Lt. Kanehailua at (808) 961-2252.  Anyone with a general recollection about these cases is welcome to comment here. As the lieutenant provides me with more information about these unsolved murders and others around the island, I will post them.Â
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I like the idea for your new series.
I hope you really do research on these investigations and not just dig up stuff that has already been hashed over.
Here is the initial media release on the Alani Case:
http://www.hawaiipolice.com/archives/Archive2000/feb00/alani_case_02-28-00.html
They can all be found very easily, so I hope you do some real investigations and not just rehash old media releases.
If you really do some digging on some of those people listed… I bet you might be surprised at some of the things you find on them.
Of course, most of the stuff that would be reported in a column such as this… Unless a real investigative report was done… might be all “hearsay”
I can’t wait to read “THE LOST FILES” in future weeks.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:39 pm
You know, Damon, I urge you not to have great expectations. I have a ten-month-old child, so I’m going to do what I can to revisit cases and get the public dialogue going, perhaps helping to stir up some memories, and then I’m going to go out and have fun with my kid. Happy New Year.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:32 am
Congratulations on a great attitude, Tiff.
I’m surprised at Damon. Didn’t he just admit he won’t write about anything if it would upset his wife or her extended family? Then he hopes you do some real “digging” on Murder cases. Wow.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:32 am
I noticed you don’t have Chris on the list. I hope his case doesn’t remain unsolved long.
Another case on the list, Nimfa Smyklo, of Nanawale, has some similarities to the Chris Randrup case. Everyone knows who did it, including the police, but no one was ever charged. She had some bad tenants, had been having a rent dispute, was threatened by her tenants, and then was found brutaly murdered. Sadly, her case seems to be forgotten.
I hope the police can come up with some evidence to nail the punks resposible for Chris’ death. He won’t be forgotten, but what I’m worried about is someone else close to us getting in trouble for taking matters into their own hands.
Thanks for this thread Tiff.
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:32 am
Kim –
Why would it surprise you that I wouldn’t write much about my own family?
Would you?
I’m just a blog site. I’m not trying to provide “news”.
I’m trying to provide enjoyable reading that interests myself.
I know enough about my family to the point where I don’t need to blog about them.
I have a very large extended family, and often times I have found out that I wrote about a family member, after the matter… and that sucks when I hear about it from them or my wife.
Tiff is a journalist. I’m a communications specialist. Big Difference.
January 3rd, 2009 at 11:32 am
Tiff what about all those ‘missing cases’ without a body, like Charlie who just disappeared down near Kahena? True they may not be dead, but someone should speak for them as well. They may just total to a lot more.
Can you get a list of those reported as missing form the police?
January 3rd, 2009 at 11:39 am
Tiff, I applaud your vision and efforts and as you stated “anyone who put themselves in public eye is up for scrutiny”.
An apology is not a sign of weakness but of character.
Keep up the good work!!!
January 3rd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
quote from Damon above:
“I hope you really do research on these investigations and not just dig up stuff that has already been hashed over.”
Damon, get a grip. Where do you get off telling someone else how to do their blog when you insist no one should do that to you? After all, you’re the one with all the time on your hands.
And talk about “rehashing,” your posting about helmet laws screams out for context. So much for communication.
About now you’re trotting out your old standby about how you’re not “about news,” yet it’s obvious to everyone that’s what you’re trying to be most of the time. You even admitted it yesterday:
http://damontucker.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/naeole-vs-edwards-hunt-blogging-or-losing-friends/#comments
You can’t have it both ways. Why not give the ‘ol hypocrisy, Tiffany and everyone else a break?
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Dave -
The reason I said that “I hope you really do research…” Is because it doesn’t seem that much research has been done in the past from a quick dig of things.
It Tiff can even get answers to one of these unsolved murders then she has done a great deal for our community.
I don’t have much faith in our fine officers figuring out what happened in most of the above cited cases. Maybe Tiff’s new investigations could open something up that was overlooked before.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
As she said, Tiffany is merely looking to establish a dialogue about the matter. Extensive research requires beaucoup time, which can be a tight commodity for a working mom.
And to give credit where it’s due, Chris Loos, one of my former colleagues at the Trib, did a fine series on unsolved murders a few years back (maybe in about 2004?), which could provide Tiffany with good background on some of the cases.
One of her articles was about the 1987 murder of a 65-year-old woman in a Hilo gas station restroom. Her alleged murderer was recently indicted, and hopefully greater public awareness will help in other cases.
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Damon,
Tiff is a journalist ….. not a detective. “Digging” into these cases could put her and her family in real danger. You aren’t willing to upset a member of a very large extended family …. which includes pretty well all of the Political arena.
I stand by my earlier post.
By the way, I was quite open during Brian’s run for office. We don’t argee on everything, but we respect each other enough to let each other have their own opinions.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Tiff,
Are all of these people residents of Puna? Other places on this island? other islands? other places?
Ages?
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:51 pm
This is a list of the unsolved murders in Puna that police have on file. The dates are when the murders occurred. To date, this is the information I have received from the police department. As I have already stated, I will post information as I receive it.
January 6th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
There is a name missing which we all remember and that is Peter Boy Kama. Did they (police) give up and if not where is this case now. Puna hasn’t forgotten.
January 6th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
The listed unsolved Puna murders are those that a body has been discovered, and can be described in police terms as a “homicide.” Quite obviously, we should also probe the missing persons, since we can all recall cases in which a body has never been found and therefore cannot technically be called a homicide.
January 11th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Tiffany, Erika Kurz was my great Aunt. Watching unsolved mysteries made me think about this. I only know sketchy details of her murder learned from my dad and aunt. I hope you get some new information to solve this mystery. Thanks