Hawaii island police find body in Hilo’s Wailoa River

The body of a 64-year-old Hilo man was discovered in the water at the edge of Wailoa River in Hilo this morning, the Hawaii Police Department reported.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m., South Hilo patrol officers, Hawaii Fire Department personnel and state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers responded to the scene after receiving a report of a body found in shallow water near the river’s edge, HPD said.

First responders found the body between the Kamehameha Statue and the Ironworks Building, just upstream from the Wailoa Small Boat Harbor, and were able to extract the body from the water.

The victim was transported to the Hilo Medical Center and officially pronounced dead at 11:11 a.m.

Police have tentatively identified the victim as a 64-year-old Hilo man, but positive identification is pending. The man’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Police currently do not suspect foul play at this time, but an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.

Police are asking anyone who may have information about this case to call the police department’s non-emergency number at 808-935-3311, or Blaine Morishita of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at 808-961-2380 or via email at Blaine.Morishita@hawaiicounty.gov.