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The mother of “Peter Boy” Kema failed to show up Monday morning at a court hearing to continue her trial in a welfare fraud case.
Jaylin Kema is the mother of the 6-year-old Hawaii island child who disappeared in 1997. She and the boy’s father, Peter Kema Sr., came under scrutiny by police in that missing-person case, which was reclassified to a homicide in 2000. It has remained one of Hawaii’s most high-profile unsolved crimes.
Jaylin Kema was charged in November with second-degree theft for allegedly taking more than $17,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (food stamps) that she was not entitled to between May 1, 2010, and July 15, 2015.
She was arrested in November, along with Peter Kema Sr., on drug and firearms offenses. He was later released because police did not have enough evidence to charge him.
Jaylin Kema remained in custody on the theft charge, but was later released on $5,000 bail posted by a bail bonds company.
She was due in court for an 8:30 a.m. Monday hearing in which she was scheduled to request a continuance of her theft trial, but her attorney, Justin Haspe, told the court he did not know where she was at the time of the hearing.
Deputy Prosecutor Michelle West said Haspe was later able to locate his client, and the matter has been rescheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
