Woman’s death case
appears isolated

Police say it is not related to
previous attacks on Kauai

Kauai police are investigating the death of an 18-year-old woman as a possible homicide but say the case does not appear related to three unsolved attacks on women in the area.

"At this time we have no reason to believe or suspect that this homicide investigation may be linked to any previous homicide," said Lt. Roy Asher, of the Kauai Police Department.

Police identified the woman whose body was found Thursday near Glass Beach in West Kauai as Weslyn Jerves, 18, an island resident.

They opened a homicide investigation and are awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine what caused her death. They did not give information on how she died.

Police said an anonymous call led them to Jerves' body in the graveyard area near the popular beach in Hanapepe.

Four years ago a series of murders and rapes along Kauai's west coast put Garden Island residents on edge.

On April 7, 2000, police found the body of Lisa Bissell, 38, in a ditch near Polihale State Park. She had been raped, beaten and stabbed.

On May 22, 2000, a 52-year-old woman was beaten and stabbed in the yard of a Kekaha home where she was employed as a yard worker. She survived.

And on Aug. 30, 2000, the body of Daren Singer, 43, of Maui, was found at her campsite near Pakala Point Beach. She too had been raped, beaten and stabbed.

Police have not solved the cases, but have said they suspected the three were linked.

Detectives are questioning potential witnesses regarding Jerves' whereabouts Wednesday night.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Asher, Detective Sam Sheldon or Detective Marvin Rivera at 808-241-1711, or CrimeStoppers at 808-241-1887.