Posted on: Tuesday, August 28, 2001

Missing woman found dead off Tantalus Drive

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

The body of a 54-year-old Honolulu woman who was reported missing Sunday was found yesterday afternoon in a ravine off Tantalus Drive.

Police have classified the case as an unattended death and have ordered an autopsy. Her name was not released last night.

The woman was last seen by her landlord at her Pensacola Street home at about noon on Aug. 20. At about 6:30 that evening, residents reported seeing the woman's car with a woman who matched her description in the 4000 block of Tantalus Drive.

Four hours later, the same residents said they returned home and found the car parked in the roadway with its lights on, passenger door open and keys in the ignition. But police said the car was empty and it was towed away because it created a traffic hazard.

The woman was not reported missing until Sunday at about 12:30 p.m., police said. Officers from the specialized services division and the police canine unit yesterday morning searched the area where the woman's car was found.

A resident told searchers that an unknown man said he heard a female calling for help last Thursday in that area. But the man did not report the calls until yesterday.

Police asked the Honolulu Fire Department for help and a rescue crew rappelled into a ravine below the 4000 block of Tantalus Drive, where they found the woman's body.