Kala‘iokealaula Ashley Nicole Reyes Kanekoa.Photo:Kalai Reyes Kanekoa/Facebook
Kalai Reyes Kanekoa/Facebook
A woman was found dead early Sunday after she fell off a cliff in Hawaii and was swept away as her boyfriend tried his best to help her.
TheHawaii Police Departmentidentified the victim as Kala‘iokealaula Ashley Nicole Reyes Kanekoa, 29.
Police said in a Facebook post that authorities responded after Kanekoa fell from the shoreline cliffs near Paradise Drive and Beach Road in Kea‘au just before 2 a.m. local time.
Although police and firefighters responded within seven minutes of the 911 call, her boyfriend claimed that when they arrived they didn’t have the proper tools to rescue her — and that he had no choice but to sit there listening to her “suffer and scream for help.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the fire department for comment.
Ultimately, police said that the fire department and Coast Guard searched throughout the morning, and at 8 a.m., they found her body four miles down shore near Honolulu Landing in Pāhoa.
“She was transported to the Hilo Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 10:58 a.m.,” police said in their statement.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Police tell PEOPLE that the investigation is ongoing and that they are awaiting toxicology reports.
Speaking with Hawaii News Now, Gapp said “she loved her kids more than anything” and “was a loving, caring person.”
Police are asking anyone who may have information relative to this case, to call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311, or Detective Paul Mangus of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2383 or email Paul.Mangus@hawaiicounty.gov.
source: people.com
