Police databank of
fingerprints used to
identify man found in field

By Jaymes K. Song
Star-Bulletin

Police have identified a man whose body was found yesterday with suspicious injuries, rotting in a field in Kunia.

The man's identity was discovered when his fingerprint matched those in the police computer databank of fingerprints of people arrested statewide.

Homicide detectives yesterday would not disclose any information about the man pending family notification.

Del Monte field workers discovered the man's body yesterday at 7:30 a.m. when they followed a strong stench, said Lt. Allen Napoleon, head of the homicide detail.

Investigators and detectives spent hours scouring the shrubs and the neighboring dirt road searching for evidence.

The body was found in heavy shrubbery next to a pineapple field 100 yards off Kunia Road, about a mile north of the Hawaii Country Club. He was dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Police said the body had been there for several days. But he did not fit the description of any reported missing persons.

Exactly what type of wounds he sustained is unknown because of the decomposition.

The case has not been classified as a homicide pending an autopsy, Napoleon said. But there were several things that would make the case suspicious, including where he was found and his injuries.

According to the city medical examiner's office, the autopsy has been scheduled for Monday.

Police are asking for anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area to call detectives at 529-3115.