Big Island police are investigating an apparent homicide in lower Puna.

Detectives said Puna patrol officers responded to a call reporting a gunshot in the Nanawale Estates subdivision around 4 a.m. yesterday and then found the body of a man off Highway 137 in the Wa'a Wa'a area.

Police last night were withholding the name of the victim pending identification. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of his death.

Police ask that anyone with information about this case call Detective Richard Sherlock at (808) 961-2379 or the police non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311. Those who prefer to remain anonymous and confidential may call CrimeStoppers at (808) 961-8300 in Hilo or (808) 329-8181 in Kona.

The Wa'a Wa'a area gained notoriety in December 1991, when a neighbor found a dying Dana Ireland crying for help there. The 23-year-old woman, who had been living in Puna with family after graduating from college, had been kidnapped, raped and left to die on Christmas Eve of that year.

Her murder shocked and outraged the community, from the slow emergency medical response to the length of time — years — before three men were arrested and eventually convicted in 1999 for their part in her killing.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.