Kahealani case sparks demand for keiki ID cards
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
Less than a month after the disappearance and murder of 11-year-old Kahealani Indreginal, the Missing Child Center-Hawai'i has distributed 600 keiki identification kits to parents — triple the number it usually hands out in a year.
Those seeking a keiki ID card or more information on missing child situations should contact the Missing Child Center at 586-1449, or HPD's Informational Resources Section at 529-3351. For more information, contact www.missingkids.com. Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Missing Child Center coordinator Carol Hee said the requests for child identification cards have increased dramatically since Kahealani's body was found along an 'Aiea hiking trail Dec. 13 after disappearing three days earlier.
Parents should maintain ID file
Christopher Clayburn Aki, 20, is charged with killing the girl.
A keiki ID card allows a parent to keep a child's recent photos, fingerprints and personal and physical information in one document.
It also recommends taking several of a child's hair strands — roots and follicles intact — for DNA identification.
"With all the media coverage after the Kahealani incident, we've been getting a lot more calls," Hee said. "While it is very tragic, people after a case like this become more aware and want to know what to do if their child turns up missing."
Hee said they expect more parental inquiries following the Daniel Gilman case. The 9-year-old boy was reunited with his family Sunday after a city bus driver spotted him and grandfather Derick Gilman getting on her bus. The boy had been reported missing Dec. 28 after the elder Gilman did not return the boy home.
"We'll probably get more calls, particularly since it was a custodial case," Hee said.
Honolulu police distribute similar child information cards for parents at scheduled events at shopping centers and other community events.
Lt. Clayton Kau of HPD's Informational Resources Section said his staff has received a slight increase in calls for keiki ID cards, but usually give out several hundred each year.
Police said recent photographs of Daniel Gilman from his grandmother helped city bus driver Lynette Burdett-Lopez identify the boy on Sunday. Kau advised parents to also keep up-to-date dental and medical records.
"Trying to gather all those documents after a situation occurs is probably not the best time to do that, so it's important to have it all beforehand," Kau said. "A recent photo of the child makes it much easier to inform the public on what he or she looks like. You'd be surprised how many families don't have recent photographs of their children."
