Slaying of 6-year-old girl has Puna reeling again

By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HAWAIIAN BEACHES, Hawai'i — Unimaginable grief and horror have once again visited the rural community of Puna, where residents are struggling to cope with the murder of a 6-year-old girl and fears that her killer remains at large.

Kauilani Tadeo was reported missing from her Hawaiian Beaches home Thursday afternoon. Her body was found at 8:30 p.m. in an abandoned house. Photo courtesy News8

An autopsy conducted yesterday at Hilo Medical Center determined Kauilani died of blunt force trauma to the head, said Capt. James Day. He declined to say what kind of weapon was used or if the girl had been sexually assaulted.

Day said no suspects had been taken in custody as of last night.

"We have a couple of leads we are following up," he said.

Kauilani was the oldest child of Tumata and George Tadeo, who also have two sons.

Tumata Tadeo said her daughter turned up missing shortly after school Thursday. Neighbors searched more than two hours for the child before notifying police. Several neighbors said their children told them they last saw Kauilani being followed by an older boy on a bicycle.

•	Anyone who observed unusual activity in the area of the murder should call detective Andrew S. Burian of the Hilo Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2381, or the police nonemergency number at (808) 935-3311.

"She loved school. She was so smart and she helped her little brother return from school on the bus," said Tumata Tadeo, clutching a slightly out-of-focus photograph of Kauilani. The photo, taken this year, shows the energetic girl swinging at a pi–ata during a birthday party.

Tadeo, a native of Tahiti, said her daughter was learning to speak English, French and the same Filipino dialect as her father, who is employed as a handyman. She said Kauilani also enjoyed singing and Tahitian dancing with friends.

Many in Hawaiian Beaches learned of Kauilani's murder only after their children returned home from school yesterday with letters from Keonepoko Elementary Principal Kathleen Romero. The letter informed parents of the little girl's death and offered the assistance of school counselors to help their children sort through any grief or apprehension they may experience.

Robin Iverson, the mother of two children ages 8 and 4, said the killing robbed neighborhood children of their innocence.

"Now our kids are going to suffer," she said.

Until Kauilani's killer is found, Iverson said her children will have to stay inside.

For many, Thursday's tragedy recalled another notorious Puna murder case, the 1991 rape and killing of 23-year-old Dana Ireland, who was attacked on Christmas Eve while riding her bicycle.

Three Big Island men were convicted in connection with Ireland's death.

"Any time we have any kind of violence or murder or anything of that nature in this region, I always cringe, because from time to time this area has been portrayed in a negative way, and it's not that way out here," said Puna Councilman Gary Safarik, who lives in the 'Ainaloa subdivision about four miles from Hawaiian Beaches.

The circumstances in this latest murder are different from the Ireland case, he said, "but the same way Dana Ireland's parents felt, I'm sure that these folks who lost their 6-year-old daughter feel just as distraught."

Safarik said police contacted the area's Neighborhood Watch leaders Thursday to help search for Kauilani. The Neighborhood Watch is active in the far-ranging district of 3,700 residents, which has only a handful of police officers to patrol 1,300 square miles.

"There's concern that no suspect has been caught, but this is a strong community, and we usually pull together," he said.

Safarik said he will be coordinating some kind of memorial service or other community effort for the Tadeo family once it becomes more clear what might be appropriate under the circumstances. "Nerves are exposed, it's just too raw right now," he said.

Hawaiian Beaches was started in the 1960s as a low-cost project for young families. It has since evolved into a commuter community for workers traveling to Hilo and Kea'au for jobs, although a large number of households receive welfare assistance.