By JOHN BURNETT
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Police identified a homicide victim whose body was found caught up in a fishing line from a boat off the lower Puna shoreline as 25-year-old Brittany-Jane Royal.
An autopsy conducted Wednesday determined that Royal had been strangled and her death is a homicide.
Lt. Greg Esteban of the Criminal Investigations Section said that Royal had recently moved to the Big Island and had been staying in the Kalapana area. Her last known permanent residence was in Tustin, Calif., an Orange County suburb of Los Angeles.
“She was positively identified through fingerprints,” said Esteban, who said Royal’s family on the mainland has been notified.
Royal’s body was discovered early Tuesday morning by personnel aboard the fishing vessel near where the lava enters the ocean in Kalapana. Another vessel in the area contacted authorities and remained with the body until fire and police department personnel arrived on scene.
Police had asked the public for help with identification of the woman noting her description, including a “Veritas” tattoo on her lower back.
“We got a lot of calls and would like to thank the public for its help in this case,” he said.
He said that a second-degree murder investigation has been opened, and police have not yet identified a motive for the slaying nor arrested a suspect in the case.
Police ask that anyone who may know the victim or have information on this case contact Detective Robert Almeida at 961-2386or ralmeida@co.hawaii.hi.us or Detective Fetuutuunai Amuimuia at 961-2278 or famuimuia@co.hawaii.hi.us. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Royal’s homicide is the second in lower Puna in a period of eight days. Mateo D. Balinbin, Jr., 40, of Nanawale Estates, was shot to death on May 20 in his Maui Street home. His next-door neighbor, 43-year-old Seon Keoni Aki, is charged with murder in the slaying, but his case is on hold while a panel of three mental health professionals determine whether he is fit to stand trial.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.