Hunters find body wrapped in plastic on remote trail, Hawaii cops say. Two arrested
Two have been arrested after a body was found wrapped in plastic on a remote Hawaii trail, police said.
Hunters found a man’s body, which was later identified as Jonathan Awai, 36, of Makawao, on a Kula trail on July 5, the Maui Police Department said in a July 16 news release.
The investigation into Awai’s death was first called “an unattended death” but later “reclassified as a murder,” police said.
More than a week after Awai’s body was found, John Joseph Smith, 58, and Stacy Marie Smith, 48, were arrested and later charged with second-degree murder in relation to Awai’s death, according to police.
Both remain in custody, police said.
A family member took to Facebook to share their “sadness” over Awai’s death, calling it a “tragedy.”
“You will always remain in our hearts and will be missed dearly,” the family member wrote on Facebook.
Makawao is in northern Maui.
