A little after 9 a.m. on November 2, 2003, a hunter discovered the decomposed body of a man in a remote area off of Saddle Road (Route 200) near the 12-mile marker in South Hilo. Suspicious injuries were observed and foul play was suspected. An autopsy determined that the man died as a result of severe blunt force injuries and the death was ruled a homicide.

No identification was found with the decedent and although fingerprints were obtained, there were no matches in the AFIS database to make a positive identification. With advances in technology, in April 2016 the man’s fingerprints were sent to the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center in Honolulu and searched in the FBI’s NGI (Next Generation of Identification) database, resulting in the man being positively identified as Bradley Bussewitz, age 47. He was also known as Bradley Adair.

Now identified, investigators learned that Bussewitz was originally from Wisconsin and had lived on the Big Island between 1988 and 1989 and was known to live in San Luis Obispo, California, in 1996. Investigators determined that Bussewitz lived on Maui in May 2003 prior to returning to the Big Island and lived at various locations around Hawai‘i Island, including Puna, South Hilo, Ka’u, North Kohala, and Kona.

Bussewitz liked to grow his own food and was a vegetarian and also played the didgeridoo wind instrument. His primary modes of transportation were an early model Chevy Lumina van, color unknown, and a bicycle.

Detectives are still seeking witnesses or motorists who may have seen him hitchhiking either on Kaumana Drive or the Saddle Road on or about November 2, 2003. Bussewitz, who was 47 at the time of his death, was described as Caucasian, about 6-foot-1 with a slim build. He was wearing a green aloha print shirt and a pair of brown swim trunks with red pockets.

Case Number: (H-69230)

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any Caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers’ information is kept confidential.