Big Island police arrested an 18-year-old man yesterday in connection with the shooting deaths of two 20-year-old men whose bodies were found Thursday. Suspect, 18, arrested in
deaths of 2 Hilo menBy Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comThe suspect, who has no permanent address, was arrested at 12:35 p.m. yesterday on Alii Drive and is being held at the Kona police cellblock.
Decomposing bodies found Thursday in a rural subdivision south of Hilo are believed to be those of Cassidy Toole and Wesley Alan Matheson, both 20, who were reported missing in early May, police said.
Both men died of gunshot wounds in the head, according to preliminary autopsy reports. With the finding of the bodies, the Hawaii Police Department's missing-persons investigation became a murder case.
The victims were roommates in Fern Acres, a sparsely populated subdivision 14 miles south of Hilo. They were last seen alive about 7 a.m. on May 8 being picked up by a red sedan in the Kau district, 56 miles south of Fern Acres, after their car became stuck in a ditch along Mamalahoa Highway.
The driver of the red car gave them a ride several miles to Pahala, in the direction of their home, but what happened to them after that was unknown, said Hawaii Police Capt. James Day.On May 16, police located and questioned the suspect, who at the time was described as a witness in their disappearance, after seeking the public's help in finding him. The suspect was described as cooperative and was released following the questioning.