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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, March 24, 2005

Missing man was focus of probe

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 31-year-old man who has been missing since Monday is the subject of a criminal investigation and may have staged his own disappearance, police said yesterday.

Kenneth Peters

Kenneth J. Peters Jr. was last seen leaving his Halawa business at about 7:30 p.m. Monday.

His 2005 silver Mercedes-Benz was found the next morning at about 6:45 on the side of a cliff near the Makapu'u Lookout.

Peters was the subject of an extensive search Tuesday, and police recovered his car and a pair of shoes. But there was no sign of Peters.

Police said yesterday that Peters is under criminal investigation, but they declined to comment on its scope.

Honolulu Police Department spokesman Capt. Frank Fujii said investigators do not believe that Peters is the victim of foul play.

"We have some indication to believe that he is missing on his own accord," Fujii said. He declined further comment on possible motives.

Fujii said investigators also haven't ruled out the possibility that Peters may have left the island or state, and that he may have been helped in his disappearance.

"At this point in time, we're covering all leads. He may have left the island, but we're not going to limit our investigation to that scope because he may be here also," Fujii said.

Investigator Phil Camero has been with the Missing Persons Detail for 10 years and he said a "small percentage" of cases involve people who purposely disappear. He said that in some cases, people go missing because of financial or relationship problems.

But Camero said family and friends of Peters said there was no indication that Peters would want to vanish.

"There was no information that Mr. Peters was emotionally distraught prior to his disappearance," Camero said.

Fujii yesterday pleaded with Peters to contact his family or police.

"I'd like for him to know that his parents and his friends are not just worried but heartbroken. They're devastated by what he's doing, and it's in his best interest to help his family," Fujii said. "If he truly loves his family, (he should) do something about it and get in touch with them, and come on in."

Peters' disappearance is similar to a 1987 case in which a Hawaiian Homes official was reported missing after he went to Makapu'u Lighthouse to take photos for his job. At the time, Robert W. Fletcher was facing indictment for a scheme that defrauded the state out of $22,000.

Police conducted an extensive land-and-sea search for Fletcher after his state truck was found in the lighthouse's parking lot.

Police also found his camera bag on a platform overlooking the bay hundreds of feet below.

In June 1991, Fletcher was arrested in Los Angeles and returned to Hawai'i to face 16 counts of theft and attempted theft. In November 1991 he pleaded guilty to 10 counts and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Camero said police are looking for witnesses who may have seen Peters' Mercedes, with license plate OH2BAD, before the crash. Anyone who may have seen a man who fit Peters' description before or after the crash also is asked to call Camero at 529-3394, CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellular phone.

Peters is 5 feet 9, 165 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray dress shirt and black pants.

Peters worked at JTD International on Iwaena Street in Halawa. The company is a wholesaler that sells jewelry in the tourist trade

Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.