Bodies of man, girl found at Makapuu

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM

A Honolulu medical examiner checked one of two bodies recovered from the Makapuu tide pools yesterday afternoon. The bodies of a man and a girl were discovered by hikers and were flown out by helicopter to the parking lot at the Makapuu trail.

Police are awaiting autopsies today to determine the cause of death of a man and a girl found yesterday near the base of the cliff below the Makapuu Lighthouse.

The girl, who was in her preteens, might be the man's daughter, but their identities had yet to be confirmed, police Lt. David Kamai said.

The man appeared to be in his late 40s to early 50s, and both had injuries that could have come from washing up onto rocks, an Emergency Medical Services spokesman said.

Hikers spotted the bodies in the water and phoned for help at about 3:45 p.m., police said.

One witness hiked a trail down to the tide pools below the lighthouse and found the girl on the rocks before emergency responders arrived, Kamai said.

Both were clad in swim tops called rash guards and shoes known as reef walkers, while the man had on a pair of goggles. There were no suspicious injuries, police said.

At about the same time, the two were reported missing by a woman, apparently the girl's mother, who had not been able to reach them by phone for a day.

A fire helicopter transported the bodies to paramedics at the Makapuu trail parking lot.

Late last night, police checked the parking lot and towed away a dark-colored Nissan Xterra SUV.

Detectives were still trying reach next of kin, but said the man had an ID that matched the name of the SUV's owner.

The Star-Advertiser is not releasing the man's name until next of kin have been notified. According to a website that appears to belong to the man, he is a father of three, a local businessman and an expert in real estate. The website describes his youngest daughter as a 10-year-old who is studying ballet, can speak Japanese and loves fishing and golf.