Honolulu police arrested two women Thursday afternoon in connection with the starvation death in June of a 3-year-old girl in Kapolei.
Janae Perez, 25, the toddler’s mother, and her girlfriend, 33-year-old Ashleigh Utley, were taken into custody at 1:56 p.m. on Dillingham Boulevard. Both were arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, hindering prosecution and two counts of
kidnapping.
Honolulu police Lt. Deena Thoemmes said the case was initially classified as an unattended death. However, after additional testing and medical findings, it was reclassified as second-degree murder.
On the evening of June 13, Honolulu police officers responded to a report of an unresponsive child
at a home on Kekuilani Loop in
Kapolei.
Emergency Medical Services and Honolulu Fire Department personnel performed lifesaving measures on the child, who was later identified as Sarai Perez-Rivera, before taking her to The Queen’s Medical Center-West Oahu, where she was pronounced dead at 7:44 p.m.
First responders found Perez-Rivera malnourished and unresponsive, with ashen skin, bruises on her legs, hips, arms, face, back and head, as well as abrasions and scab wounds on her hands and back, police said.
Responding officers spoke with Perez, who identified herself as
Perez-Rivera’s mother, and Utley, who said she lived with Perez and her children. Both Utley and Perez referred to Perez-Rivera and her three siblings as belonging to both of them.
The women told police that Perez had taken Perez-Rivera and her three siblings, ages 6, 5 and 2, to the airport to pick up Utley. Thoemmes said Perez told police that they returned home around 6 p.m. and she began cooking dinner when she noticed her 5-year-old son punching and kicking Perez-Rivera while she was on the ground
Perez told police she attempted to separate the children, then returned to cooking. She said she later checked on
Perez-Rivera after noticing she was quiet, found her unresponsive and called 911.
Thoemmes said Perez claimed her 5-year-old son has autism, though he has not been diagnosed, and that he “regularly was aggressive and physical with Sarai.” She also blamed him for the injuries inflicted on Perez-Rivera, Thoemmes said.
Following the initial investigation into the death of
Perez-Rivera, her three siblings were taken into protective custody, police said.
All three children were transported to the hospital, where the 6-year-old boy was treated for extreme dehydration and later released in good condition. The 5-year-old boy was admitted for extreme dehydration, while the 2-year-old was
examined and released, police said. The gender of the youngest child was not
released.
Since June 13 all of the children have been removed from the custody of Perez and Utley. It is unclear whether their biological father has custody of them.
An autopsy conducted June 14 by the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office initially deferred Perez-Rivera’s cause and manner of death, pending further testing and review of medical records.
During the investigation, police interviewed Perez and Utley, and learned that Perez had withdrawn her 6-year-old and 5-year-old sons from school in November 2023 and January 2024.
Perez told investigators she was homeschooling the boys but could not provide any schoolwork, Thoemmes said. Perez also admitted she had not completed the required end-of-year assessments or testing for them, according to Thoemmes.
Through the investigation, police found that the two women severely limited the children’s food and water — allowing them to eat infrequently and restricting them to only eight ounces of water a day.
“All four children
appeared noticeably thin and tired-looking,” Thoemmes said. “The day after Sarai’s death, Janae and Ashleigh blamed Janae’s 5-year-old son, telling him it was his fault.”
However, police determined that Perez-Rivera’s 5-year-old brother did not harm her the night of the incident, Thoemmes said.
Instead, investigators found that Perez and Utley routinely hit the children with their hands, sticks, paddles, slippers and belts on various parts of their bodies, including their faces and heads, according to police.
As part of the HPD’s investigation, a board-certified child abuse pediatrician was consulted.
Thoemmes said the pediatrician noted that Perez-Rivera suffered “from a multitude of injuries which are indicative of chronic child abuse and neglect, which led to fatal child
maltreatment.”
Police recovered surveillance footage from the day of the incident showing Perez carrying Perez-Rivera, who appeared motionless, to her car. Another video captured Perez returning to the residence, still carrying Perez-Rivera, who remained unresponsive, according to Thoemmes.
Data from Perez’s and Utley’s cellphones were also examined by HPD’s Cyber Crimes Unit and Strategic Enforcement Detail.
“There were images of children being barricaded in their bedroom by furniture and gates,” Thoemmes said. “There was also disturbing video of Sarai crying and in severe discomfort and distress, saying that she had to use the bathroom and that she was thirsty. In response, Janae repeatedly yelled and swore at her.
“Several videos showed Janae’s 5-year-old son crying and also in severe discomfort and distress, saying that he needed to use the bathroom. He was yelled at to shut up. He was crying so hard and said that he was going to wet his pants, but Janae continued to just yell at him and tell him to stop,” Thoemmes said.
Another video showed the boy sitting cross-legged on a hardwood floor facing the wall, she said.
“His exposed back shows his spine and hip bones protruding from under his skin,” Thoemmes said.
Thoemmes said the two women failed to obtain medical treatment for Perez-Rivera and her siblings for multiple conditions, including malnutrition and bodily injuries.
The investigation revealed that despite having sufficient food in the Kapolei home, Utley and Perez deliberately chose not to provide enough nourishment for the children, police said.
On Feb. 24, after extensive testing, a forensic pathologist determined that Perez-Rivera died from the combined effects of dehydration and starvation. The examination found she had numerous contusions on her head and extremities.
She also had a low body weight and a body mass index that placed her in the third percentile for her age — findings consistent with chronic child abuse and neglect, police said.
On Thursday, Thoemmes advocated for Senate Bill 281 and its companion bill, House Bill 388, which died in early February before the House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs. The bills aim to directly address the torture of children.
“Child torture is insidious. It is gradual, calculated and systematic, and designed to break the victim’s will,” Thoemmes said. “Its effects are deliberate and devastating. Our existing legal framework does not adequately address those acts of torture, making it difficult to hold offenders accountable.”
There is no specific child torture statute in Hawaii’s laws. Instead, child abuse cases are typically prosecuted under existing laws, such as assault, endangering the welfare of a minor, manslaughter or murder, depending on the severity of the abuse.
SB 281 would clarify definitions, prohibit the offense of torture, and make torture a Class A felony.
“Passing this bill will equip law enforcement with the necessary tools to intervene effectively and hold offenders fully accountable,” Thoemmes said. “Right now, without this law, we are failing the victims.”
