The answer to the 20-year-old question “Where’s Peter?” is finally coming to light.
The Hawaii County prosecutor and his team and a police detective escorted on Wednesday four family members of 6-year-old Peter “Peter Boy” Kema Jr., who died sometime in June 1997, to the Puna site where his father led police on Sunday.
The family learned what Peter Kema Sr. revealed to prosecutors and police: that he unsuccessfully tried to burn the boy’s body, a source who wishes to remain anonymous told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Then he placed the body in a box, and disposed of the box in the ocean. The revelation was confirmed by someone close to the investigation.
Prosecutors offered a plea deal to Kema, indicted in April 2016 on a second-degree murder charge in his son’s death, in exchange for information about the location of Peter Boy’s remains. He took that deal on April 5, pleading guilty to manslaughter and hindering prosecution. He will be sentenced June 5 to 20 years’ imprisonment with a six-year mandatory minimum.
Peter Boy was subjected to extreme cruelty, even as an infant. Authorities say he likely died of septic shock from a large wound on his arm. The parents concocted stories about where he was after he disappeared and was last seen by siblings in June 1997.
But it wasn’t until Jan. 9, 1998, that his mother went to police to report him missing.
Finally, in April 2016, police arrested the couple. They were indicted on charges of second-degree murder.
Jaylin Kema pleaded guilty to manslaughter in December, taking a plea deal in exchange for her testimony against her husband.
She will be freed today on supervised release following a hearing.
Hawaii County Prosecutor Mitch Roth declined to release the details, saying that likely would come at sentencing.
He said that he and his team tried to prepare the family by explaining some of what they learned from Kema before going out Wednesday morning.
“It was a little bit of a shock to them,” he said.
On the drive to the Puna site, the conversation turned to the rain as tears from heaven, Roth said. “His aunty said it was Peter Boy crying, ‘My family’s finally coming for me.’”
“When I heard that, it was a pretty emotional moment,” Roth said.
Someone, possibly brother Allan Acol, said it was “like a boulder being lifted off of them,” Roth said. “It was a sense of closure.”
Maternal grandfather James Acol fulfilled a deathbed promise to his late wife, Yolanda.
Roth said Acol shared what he told her: “We found him, honey. Now he’s in your hands.”
“We did not find the body per se, but found the location,” Roth explained.
Deputy Prosecutor Rick Damerville said, “I’m not saying much of anything right now. We want to make sure the surviving family members have a brief time to soak this all in.”
He declined to give a more precise location, saying he did not want amateurs out looking for the remains.
Damerville said police and forensic specialists are making plans to try to find the remains.
Roth said police will be bringing in people from outside Hawaii island “who are looking at helping out.”
According to the anonymous source, police will use divers in the search.
Police Capt. Randall Medeiros said after Kema led them to the area, police realized they did not have the expertise to conduct a search and would contact experts.
