Baby’s death in hotel classified as a homicide

An infant found dead in a Waikiki hotel room on Nov. 26 died of asphyxia, the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday.

The manner of death has been classified as a homicide.

The office said the female baby was born alive and at full term. She was identified only by her last name, Yoon.

She was found after police responded to a report of a deceased newborn at the Sheraton Waikiki.

The child’s mother, a 32-year-old Korean national who was visiting Hawaii with her husband, was arrested a few hours later. She was released on Nov. 28 pending further investigation.

Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu said a second-degree murder investigation is underway.

Korean Deputy Consul General Sung-Soo Kim declined to comment on the case and would not confirm or deny whether the infant’s mother was still on Oahu.

In an emailed statement, Sheraton Waikiki spokesman Scott Kawasaki said: "The hotel continues to work closely with the Honolulu Police Department in their ongoing investigation of this tragic event. As this is a police matter, we are unable to comment further and direct any questions to the HPD."