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Nude woman's body spurs 'suspicious' case


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POSTED: Saturday, October 03, 2009

Alaska resident Tammy Clancy woke up yesterday and saw from her hotel room police swarming the section of the beach fronting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.

Officers were investigating the discovery of the nude body of a woman, believed to be in her 20s, just before dawn.

“;It's creepy,”; Clancy said while lying on the beach later in the afternoon. “;It's very scary to think you're sleeping right there and it's happening.”;

Police are investigating the case as a “;suspicious unattended death,”; pending the results of an autopsy. The Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office completed an autopsy yesterday but refused to release the results without explanation.

While the discovery was unusual, beachgoers were unfazed by the find.

“;It's just something for them to talk about,”; said one man who works on the beach.

;[Preview]  Body found on Waikiki Beach
 

The body of a naked woman was found this morning on the beach fronting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

Watch ]

 

Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Services Department, said the woman was pronounced dead by paramedics at 6:27 a.m.

A jogger found the body face up about five feet from the water line and asked hotel employees to call police. He continued with his run before speaking with police.

The woman's body appeared to have been found soon after her death, said Honolulu police Lt. Bill Kato.

“;It's not what you'd expect out here,”; said Jake Makua, who works at UV Rays, an ocean recreation company fronting the Outrigger Waikiki.

“;We get a lot of homeless out here,”; he said. “;First thing that came to mind is a scuffle between the homeless.”;

When Makua arrived at work about 6 a.m., a firetruck was already on scene. He said a man who cleans the beach at 4 a.m. did not see a woman's body. A beach user told him he saw a commotion in the area before the woman's body was found.

Police said the woman was 5 feet 6 inches or 5 feet 7 inches tall, 140 pounds, and had two tattoos—the letter M on her left heel and a red heart with wings on her right wrist.

She does not appear to be a missing person, police said.

Police are looking for witnesses and say they would like to talk to the jogger, who is not a suspect in the case. Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call 911.