Question: Whatever happened to the investigation of the apparent serial attacks on women on Kauai nearly 10 years ago, in which two women were murdered and a third was left for dead but survived?
Answer: The cases involving Lisa Bissell, 38; a 52-year-old woman; and Daren Singer, 43; are still under investigation, according to Kauai County spokeswoman Sarah Blane. "We are continuing to pursue all possible leads and have taken great strides to conduct extensive testing on all forensic evidence," she said.
"We are exploring trace evidence and DNA possibilities utilizing labs both in Hawaii and on the mainland," Blane added. Kauai police also sought assistance from the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Va.
No arrests have been made in connection with the attacks.
The assaults occurred in a span of four months. On April 7, 2000, Bissell, of Hanapepe, was found in a ditch near Polihale State Park near Kekaha. She was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death.
On May 22, a 52-year-old woman was stabbed in the abdomen and suffered a broken arm when a man attempted to rape her in the yard of a home in remote Kekaha. Law enforcement believed her attacker may have left her for dead.
On Aug. 30, the body of Singer, of Maui, was found at a remote campsite near Pakala Point Beach about seven miles from Kekaha. Police had said she had been raped, beaten and stabbed.
Honolulu spokesman Tony Lang said the FBI is continuing its investigation and that evidence is being examined at a crime laboratory in Quantico. Lang declined to describe the type of evidence because of the continuing investigation.
Lang said a serial killer is suspected because of the similarities of the attacks.
The attacks took place within 10 miles of each other. All the women were believed to be alone at the time they were assaulted. All three were Caucasian, between 5-foot-2 and 5-feet, 5-inches tall, and weighed about 100 pounds.
In September 2002, Waldorf Roy Wilson II, who police had described as a prime suspect, filed a lawsuit against Kauai County, then-Kauai Police Chief George Freitas, individual police officers, Honolulu Magazine and the Garden Island newspaper for slander.
Wilson was on parole for 1983 rape and kidnapping convictions when the attacks occurred on Kauai.
He said he was not involved in the attacks and that police defamed him. A Circuit Court judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2006. The Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal in June 2009, saying Wilson took too long to pursue his claim of misconduct against the defendants.
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This update was written by Rosemarie Bernardo. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To…” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.
