Gunshot killed man
found in inferno

The owner of the car destroyed
by the fire remains missing

A man whose body was found Thursday in a burning car on the North Shore died of a bullet wound to the head, according to the Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office.

The victim, 32, was discovered by police in a Honda Civic. A fire had burned it down to the metal frame at 2 a.m. at Army Beach in Mokuleia.

Although police initially reported the case as an unattended death, an autopsy revealed that the victim had been shot in the head.

"It's burnt beyond recognition so we can't positively identify him, but we know it's a male," said Honolulu police spokesman Capt. Frank Fujii. "He had a gunshot wound to the head, and we're asking for the public's help if they saw anything."

Fujii said the owner of the car is missing but has not been officially identified by police as the victim.

No arrests have been made in the case.