MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaiʻi Island police have confirmed the identity of a decomposing body that was found in a ravine while police were searching for a missing Hilo couple.

The body was identified through fingerprints late Monday afternoon (October 19) as the missing man, 93-year-old Masaru Miyamoto of Hilo. An autopsy conducted Tuesday morning (October 20) determined that he died from injuries consistent with an accidental fall.

Miyamoto and his wife, 88-year-old Tamie Miyamoto, were reported missing Friday (October 16) after they had not been seen since the previous Sunday (October 11).

Friday afternoon, police located Masaru Miyamoto’s body at the bottom of a ravine behind a home on Kahema Street but were unable to positively identify him until Monday. They searched the surrounding area and found Tamie Miyamoto in thick vegetation. She remains at Hilo Medical Center in good condition.