Posted on: Friday, May 27, 2005
Human fetus found in yard
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
A woman digging up some mud for a landscaping project unearthed the decomposing remains of a human fetus in the yard of a rented Kalihi home.
Police classified the case as an unattended death pending the outcome of an autopsy. Police did not release the fetus's gender or whether it was a full-term baby.
A neighbor who saw the remains said they appeared to be that of a newborn baby. The neighbor, who did not want her named published, said she saw the baby's hands and arm and they seemed to be fully developed.
The two-story home is rented to three women and three men. None of the tenants could be reached for comment.
The woman who discovered the remains said her family owns the house and rents it out. The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she goes to the home twice a week to do yard work.
Yesterday, she said, she was looking for some dirt to place between tiles when she found a spot clear of weeds and rocks.
"I scooped up some of the dirt from that area and I went and started putting it between the tiles and I went back for a second batch. When I'm digging up the dirt I see clothes, like a knit blue shirt. Like a woman's top," she said.
At first she thought she had found a dead cat, but she said she couldn't understand why it would be wrapped in clothing. The woman went to her neighbor's house and asked them to investigate.
One of her neighbors used a stick to lift the bundle. At that point a hand and arm fell through the cloth.
"They saw some flesh and what appeared to be a limb, and one part of the cloth was round, like a head," she said. At that point police were called at 1:20 p.m.
Homicide investigators questioned the tenants, neighbors and the woman. No arrests were made.
The woman whose family owns the house said it is a "normal house with normal activity" and that the incident has "shaken me up." She said she didn't recall any of her tenants being pregnant.
Neighbor Jean Domion's back door is a few feet from where the fetus was found. She said she did not notice any unusual activity in that area in the past week.
Domion said she doesn't really know the tenants next door, but said she recalls seeing a pregnant woman there a couple of months ago.
"I was surprised because I'm the neighbor and I didn't notice anything," Domion said. "Whoever did this is. ... It's a baby. I can't imagine somebody doing this."
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
The remains were found buried in a side yard of a home at 1610 Owawa St. The fetus was wrapped in what appeared to be a blue woman's top and was buried in a hole about 10 inches deep.
