Hawai’i Island police have arrested a Kea‘au man for second-degree murder after the discovery of a badly burned body within a vehicle in Puna.
On Saturday, April 23, 2022, shortly after 3:00 p.m., Puna patrol officers responded to Beach Road off of Maku‘u Drive, after receiving information about a vehicle that had been set on fire with a body inside. Responding officers located the vehicle with the charred remains in the bushes approximately 100 feet off the roadway.
Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section responded to the scene to continue the investigation.
Following up on leads, police identified 35-year-old Ammon K.S. Stanley of Puna, as a suspect. At 5:55 p.m. on Saturday, Stanley was located at a residence on 35th Avenue in Kea‘au, where he was arrested for second-degree murder.
The victim’s remains were transported to the Hilo Medical Center and official pronouncement of death was made at 7:42 p.m.
The victim’s name is being withheld pending positive identification and notification of next of kin. Identification of the victim will be done by means of DNA comparison.
An autopsy is scheduled for early next week to determine the exact cause of death.
Police are asking anyone with information on this incident to contact Detective John Balberde at (808) 961-2386 or email him at John.Balberde@hawaiicounty.gov or call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 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.