Nanakuli baby's death a murder, officials say

Head injuries on the 1-year-old indicate she was shaken and struck

The city Medical Examiner's Office determined yesterday that a 1-year-old Nanakuli baby who died Monday was murdered and had suffered severe head injuries.

The girl was identified yesterday as Kamalani Inciong-Smith by the Medical Examiner's Office.

The baby's family was "in deep mourning," said her grandfather, Al Beaver, former Hawaii parole board chairman and former University of Hawaii and Nanakuli High School assistant football coach. "Everybody's in shock."

"I got up today thinking I'd see my granddaughter because that's all I got in my mind, my visions, you know," Beaver said.

Beaver declined to comment on a possible suspect in the case.

"We don't want to prejudice the investigation with any kind of comments," he said.

The baby's head injuries indicated the child had being shaken and struck, said Deputy Medical Examiner Gayle Suzuki, adding that the manner of death was found to be homicide.

Yesterday's autopsy revealed the baby's injuries were confined to the head, with damage to the brain, Suzuki said.

Suzuki found the baby also had an old, healed injury -- a fractured collarbone, but could not determine whether the injury had been inflicted or was accidental.

Homicide detectives continue classified the case as a murder investigation.

Police arrested a 26-year-old homeless man on suspicion of first-degree assault at 11:15 a.m. Sunday, but he was released pending further investigation.

Police were called to the girl's home on Pililaau Avenue in Nanakuli early Sunday morning in what was reportedly an abuse case, police said.

Inciong-Smith was taken in serious condition by ambulance to St. Francis Medical Center-West shortly after 2:36 a.m., and her conditioned worsened to critical during her transport.

She was later transferred to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, where she died Monday morning.