Beaten man’s body prompts murder probe
Maui police opened a murder investigation after the body of a severely beaten man was found Christmas Day on a beach in Kahului.
Police tentatively identified the body as that of a 57-year-old man but were withholding his name pending positive identification and notification of his family.
A woman found the body on the beach near Amala Place, east of the Maui waste-water treatment plant, at about 2:35 p.m. Sunday, police said. Authorities confirmed the man was dead at the scene.
A preliminary investigation found that the man sustained multiple and severe trauma to his head, officials said. There were no metal fragments in the wounds. An autopsy was scheduled for today.
Police ask that anyone with information on the incident call Maui CrimeStoppers at 242-6966 or Maui police at 244-6400.
House fire in Waimea under investigation
Fire gutted a home in Waimea on Sunday evening, Kauai firefighters said.
The fire broke out at 4862 Menehune Road at about 7:57 p.m.
Firefighters brought the flames under control at about 8:10 p.m. and fully extinguished the fire at 9:14 p.m.
Damage and losses to the 900-square-foot wooden home and its contents were estimated at $200,000.
No one was at home at the time. No injuries were reported and no other structures were threatened.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. Police closed Menehune Road briefly and reopened it before 9 p.m.
Swimmer hospitalized after near-drowning
A man in his 70s was fighting for his life Monday after getting into distress while in the water at Hanauma Bay.
Paramedics were dispatched to a report of a near-drowning at about 3:30 p.m. and took the man to a hospital in extremely critical condition, an Emergency Medical Service supervisor said.
Honolulu fire Capt. Terry Seelig said beachgoers alerted lifeguards, who pulled the man from the water. Seelig said firefighters helped lifeguards try to revive the man, a visitor from the mainland.
Home is destroyed in fast-moving blaze
Fire tore through a Waikoloa home on Christmas, destroying the house and a Porsche parked in the garage.
Hawaii County firefighters said gusty winds might have contributed to the quick spread of the fire, which was reported at 7:16 p.m. at 68-3556 W. Makuahine St.
Firefighters arriving at 7:23 p.m. said they found the house fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters brought the fire under control at 8:19 p.m. and extinguished it at 9:26 p.m. A Mercedes parked in the driveway of the home suffered front-end damage.
