Posted on: Tuesday, May 3, 2005

EDITORIAL
Shed light on the dark Peter Boy Kema case

For years the abuse case of young Peter Boy Kema has languished without a break, all the while exposing the gaps in the state's safety net for our children. Since the Hilo boy disappeared in 1997, Hawai'i residents have tracked his sad story with deep anger, wondering if and when anything would be done to hold someone accountable for this child's abuse and presumed death.

Finally, this outrage is leavened with a measure of hope. The state attorney general's Cold Case Unit has offered its investigative expertise to Big Island prosecutors and police in an effort to find out what happened to Peter Boy, who would have turned 14 on Sunday.

This is an offer that Hawai'i county law enforcement should accept, without reservation. The time is long overdue to bring justice to this case. And perhaps fresh eyes reviewing the reams of reports on Peter Boy, including data just released because of a change in state rules governing confidentiality, could help accomplish that.

For example, a case analysis dated April 22, 1998 — six months after the state closed its case and after the child was reported missing — stated that "there is a disconcerting possibility that Peter Jr. is dead."

The document is important as the earliest record indicating official suspicion that the child had been killed. Additional documents show that fears about his safety had been voiced much earlier, by a foster parent in 1994 and by an attorney representing Peter Boy's grandparents in 1995.

Lillian Koller, state human services director, rightly notes that new disclosures can help the state correct flaws in the system. There are many children who are hurt and neglected by caregivers, and then missed by the system that is supposed to keep them safe. State-county cooperation can't happen in every abuse investigation, but difficult cases such as this demand a concerted effort to find answers and to prosecute those who are responsible.

It's encouraging to see this initiative from state officials, who have opened to scrutiny more files that document Peter Boy's injuries and the galling inadequate response from protective services. Eight years is far too long to wait for a light to shine in this dark corner.