CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
At Aiea Elementary School yesterday, a teacher went to each of 11-year-old Kahealani Indreginal's classmates yesterday, trying to comfort them after an emotional ribbon-tying ceremony and meeting. The ceremony took place hours before a body thought to be Indreginal's was discovered.
Hiker discovers The desperate three-day search for 11-year-old Kahealani Indreginal ended yesterday afternoon when a hiker at Aiea Loop Trail found the body of a girl who matched her description.
girl’s body in Aiea
Police are looking for a male suspect
Communication is key to kids' safety
after a body believed to be that of
11-year-old Kahealani Indreginal
is found near a trail
Tips for parents to keep kids safe
Students tie ribbons of hope hours before discovery
Community shares sympathy and anger
By Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comPolice said they believe the body had been at the site since Tuesday, the last day that the shy, straight-A sixth-grader was seen near her Makalapa housing complex several miles away.
Police sources told the Star-Bulletin that police were looking for a male suspect in his 20s last night.
A hiker spotted the body after going just off the trail at about 2 p.m. Though an autopsy is needed to confirm her identity, police said they believe it is Indreginal based on her description and the type of clothing she was last seen wearing.
Missing persons investigator Joe Self said her family heard a radio news broadcast that a body had been found on the Aiea Loop Trail, and he had to tell them he had been to the scene and that the body appeared to be Indreginal's.
"I reassured them that we're not finished. We're still doing our investigation," Self said.
He said the family was distraught, and as word spread throughout the Puuwai Momi complex and the community, there were more tears and grief.
"I've been working in missing-child cases for five years, and I'm devastated about this. I can't imagine how the family feels," said Renette Parker of the Missing Child Center of Hawaii. "I know the people of Hawaii and myself, we will all be praying for them, giving all the support that we can."
Family, friends and neighbors of the girl held a candlelight vigil in her honor at the housing complex last night.
"Our sympathies go out to Kahealani's family and friends," said Police Maj. Darryl Perry, Criminal Investigation Division commander at a press conference to announce the discovery of the body.
Indreginal was one of eight children in the family of Vincent Indreginal and Lehua Tumbaga.
The last time family members saw Indreginal was around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday near a manapua truck parked in her housing complex near Aloha Stadium.
Indreginal's parents did not report her missing until the next day because they thought she might have been at a neighbor's or relative's house.
Since then police have canvassed the area from Salt Lake to Aiea to Makalapa, with detectives going door to door asking if anyone had seen the Aiea Elementary School honors student. A police helicopter and 40 officers using dogs had been searching storm drains, stream beds and roadsides for any signs of Kahealani.
Family and friends also passed out fliers with Indreginal's picture on it asking people to call police if they had seen her.
An hour and a half after her body had been found yesterday, some still were unaware and continued to pass the fliers out to motorists who were stopped at the traffic signal at Kamehameha Highway and Salt Lake Boulevard, across from the housing complex.
"Bring her home alive," said a girl as she gave a bright-yellow flier to motorists. "Thank you."
Schoolmates, teachers, friends and families described Indreginal as a smart, shy child who loved to read.
On Thursday night, police arrested Indreginal's uncle, 37-year-old Douglas Kruse, at Puuwai Momi. Kruse is a two-time convicted felon who was said to have been in the same area at the time that the girl was last seen alive.
Police said Kruse showed up at the victim's home and that family members held him down for police to arrest him. Police did not question Kruse on the night of his arrest because they said he was too belligerent and intoxicated.
Kruse was not arrested in relation to this case, but on two outstanding warrants stemming from his felony convictions of burglary and theft, police said.
Kruse was being detained yesterday at Oahu Community Correction Center on criminal contempt and felony warrants, police said.
Homicide Lt. Bill Kato said locating the body yesterday was independent of any information they may have received from Kruse and that he is a "witness", not a suspect.
HPD's Perry said, "Detectives are continuing to investigate the case and ask anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the park area between Tuesday afternoon and today to call police."
DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM
Officer Clarence Silva, with his dog Louie, and officer James Vadset searched a bike path in Aiea for Kahealani Indreginal yesterday. The 11-year-old girl was missing since Tuesday. Hours later, a body believed to be hers was discovered.
He said if harm is going to happen to a child during an abduction it usually happens in the first three hours.
He reminded parents that they should report suspicions about missing children right away.
"In situations where it's unusual or their behavior has changed, they don't come home from school, anything that is out of the ordinary as a parent you should alert the Honolulu Police Department as quickly as possible," Perry said.
"We'd like to err on the side of caution. We don't look at it as an inconvenience, we're here to help."
Kato said the site where the girl was found was "maybe about 30 to 35 yards away from the parking lot" at Aiea Loop Trail.
Word that a body had been found spread quickly throughout the Aiea Heights neighborhood, next to the Aiea Loop Trial parking lot.
Two neighborhood women came up bearing flowers and placed them by a tree near the parking lot in memory of the little girl they had hoped would be found alive.
"I live about four houses away," said Denise Kaehu. "I can't believe that anybody could do anything so horrible to such a little girl."
"I've got a grandchild who is out in my front yard every single day, and I just feel so horrible that I just want to pay my respects to the family and to tell them God bless their little girl and that I hope she's in a better place now."
Star-Bulletin reporters Craig Gima and Diana Leone and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Friends and relatives at the Puuwai Momi housing complex reacted to the news yesterday that a body was found on Aiea Loop Trail.
Parents should talk to their children about how to keep themselves safe, a child psychologist and missing-child worker said after learning of the apparent death of 11-year-old Kahealani Indreginal. Communication is key
to kids’ safety
By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comRenette Parker, of the Missing Child Center of Hawaii, and child psychologist Amanda Armstrong suggest that parents start educating their kids by giving them a chance to talk about their fears when they learn that Indreginal was apparently found dead yesterday, three days after she disappeared from her Makalapa neighborhood.
"Some kids will be upset," Armstrong said. "Parents should hug them, cuddle them and tell them that they are very concerned about it, and that's why its important to go over the rules of how they can stay safe."
"I'd recommend that your family come together in a comfortable area or atmosphere," Parker said. "You don't really have to be descriptive about what happened. ... Say, 'We want to talk to you guys about how you feel and what we can do to help you feel safe wherever you go.'"
Suggestions include having children travel in pairs and informing their parents of any change in plans.
"Like if you get home from school and are doing your homework and friends call from a couple houses down and invite you over for a snack," Parker said, "call your parent and let them know you're going next door."
Armstrong said if children are upset, wait until they calm down before giving instructions. When they are ready, tell them not to talk to strangers, even seemingly nice strangers.
Armstrong and Parker suggest a parent might role-play what a potential abductor might say, such as, "I lost my puppy, and I'll give you a candy bar if you help me find it."
That line has actually been used to abduct a child, Parker said.
And children should be made aware that potential harm could come from someone they know.
"It's about people who make them feel uncomfortable," Parker said. "They have a right to say no. As parents we teach our children to respect adults, but adults can't cross that line."
Teach children to be assertive when they feel danger, Armstrong said. "When someone says, 'Don't yell,' they should yell loudly for help if they need to. If someone says, 'Don't tell,' that's a signal to tell someone right away, even if they're afraid."
When in a crowd, like a fair or a shopping mall, always establish a place to meet again if separated from your children.
Armstrong suggested children "look for another mother with children," since "moms with kids often respond fastest."
"Have a plan with your children. They need to know you will never ask anyone to pick them up unless you first told them about it," Armstrong said.
She also suggested that kids know exactly how to get to and from places where they go regularly and know safe places to stop and ask for help.
Parents should update the photo of each child in their wallet every few months and also make a note of the child's height and weight, Armstrong said.
Because there was no description of an abductor or vehicle in the Indreginal case, the broadcasting of a MAILE alert would not have been possible, Parker said. The MAILE (Minor Abducted in Life-threatening Emergency) alert is to go into effect in Hawaii on Friday. It will use radio and TV bulletins and electronic highway billboards to alert the public of abducted children.
It is modeled after the AMBER alert, named after another abduction victim, which is credited with recovering 40 missing children on the mainland. The MAILE alert is named after Maile Gilbert, a 6-year-old girl who was abducted and killed in 1985.
Armstrong said parents should make a point of checking in with children over the next couple of days, asking if there is anything they want to talk about.
If kids do not bring up the tragedy, do not push it, she said.
Whatever is on the child's mind, a parent "can never lose by spending some time really listening to their children."
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>> Teach your child how to use the phone to call your home or office. Make sure they know their full name, address and phone number (including area code). Tips for parents to keep kids safe
>> Practice making collect calls. Tell your child that you will always accept collect calls and to call immediately should anything unusual happen or if anyone tells the child that you are dead or do not love them anymore.
>> Make sure your child knows not to accept rides from strangers and never follow a stranger who suggests they go off alone together for any reason (to find a lost puppy, for example).
>> Tell your child to let you know immediately if another adult suggests keeping secrets from you.
>> Never leave your child alone in the car, even for a minute.
>> Teach your child never to release personal information over the computer to someone they have never met.
>> Know with whom your child is communicating via computer.
>> Utilize parental control computer programs.
>> Always keep your child's computer in a family room or high-traffic area.
Sources: CrimeStoppers and the Missing Child Center of Hawaii
