comscore ‘Peter Boy’ Kema’s parents indicted on murder charge in his 1997 disappearance | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Every act of aloha counts. Click here to DONATE to the MAUI RELIEF Fund.
Top News

‘Peter Boy’ Kema’s parents indicted on murder charge in his 1997 disappearance

Honolulu Star-Advertiser logo
Unlimited access to premium stories for as low as $12.95 /mo.
Get It Now
  • COURTESY JAMES AND YOLANDA ACOL / MAY 2005

    “Peter Boy” Kema Jr.

  • HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT

    Peter Kema Sr., father of “Peter Boy,” is shown at left today. Jaylin M. Kema is shown in this Nov. 2015 file photo.

A Hilo grand jury has indicted the parents of “Peter Boy” Kema on charges of murder in the death of their son, who has been missing for nearly 20 years.

Hawaii County Prosecutor Mitch Roth said Hawaii County police arrested Peter Boy’s father, Peter Kema Sr., at about 3 p.m. today on an unrelated traffic offense. He was arrested on the murder charge at 5:30 p.m. while in custody. His bail has been set $500,000.

Peter Boy’s mother, Jaylin Kema, was arrested in Hilo at 5:14 p.m. and her bail amount was set at $150,000.

Peter and Jaylin Kema were charged with one count of second-degree murder, Roth said.

Peter Boy Kema disappeared in 1997 when he was 6. The mystery of what happened to Peter Boy has continued since Peter Boy’s father told authorities he gave his son to a longtime family friend while on a job-hunting trip to Oahu.

Roth made the announcement of the indictment this afternoon and thanked police, investigators from the prosecutor’s office and many others.

Comments (38)

By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines.

Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.

Leave a Reply

  • time for peter boy to see justice on his behalf.

    peter’s sister finally sorted out the painful memories that brought this case together.

    peter kema senior, it’s time, just time.

    • I sorted this out the first time I heard that they gave Peter boy to one good, good family friend, Aunty Rose Makuakane and thatʻs all they know about this fictitious person, her name and nothing else. Whereʻs Aunty..? “Donʻt know”, Where does she live? “Donʻt know”, Where is she from, “Donʻt know”, What about her family, can ask them or what, “Donʻt know”.

      • A_Reader. Other question is how did they get to Oahu? I believe the authorities checked with the airlines and the Kemas were not on any passenger list during that time frame.

      • Only in Hawaii where most crime pays Murder is almost legal. Why would it take 19 years to charge them with murder. Our top cop is a problem, the Mayor is a problem, the entire Hilo police department is a problem etc. etc. etc.

  • They must have been darn well connected or Big Island criminal justice system was dumber than dumb. More people have been convicted on a lot less “Circumstantial Evidence” than this case. Example: Only two people in the house (me and my 5 year old daughter), I just walk out of the kitchen with a untouched chocolate cake on the table, go back in and itʻs been torn into and my daughter has chocolate all over her face, on her clothes, on her hands and she swears she didnʻt do it and knows nothing about it.

  • Without a body to prove the death, it’s gonna be interesting to see how the prosecution proceeds with this case and proves their theory of the murder………..

      • True. The conviction of Kirk Lankford for the murder of Masumi Watanabe was accomplished without a body or actual witnesses to the crime. Maybe years from now her remains will be uncovered. Lankford’s story? He gave Masumi a peaceful burial at sea.

  • Its a shame Sugar went under. It created a lot of jobs. The Big Island was a great place to live. The plantations provided housing, health care, education. There was no such thing as welfare.
    Same thing happened to Kauai and Maui. Only so many people can work in tourism.
    The GMOs are shutting down agriculture. Hawaiians are never satisfied. No TMT.

      • I agree that “these people are pigs,” but their piggish behavior, however, can be influenced by prevailing economic conditions. No paycheck leads to family stress; this in turn can trigger domestic violence, drug abuse, and a breakdown of traditional family values. Thus, I think that lespark made a valid point.

        For these unfit parents, getting rid of Peter Boy would be one less mouth for them to feed as well as less responsibility. And as we know, child raising is not easy and it’s a full-time job. FYI, I am not defending these cretins. As far as I am concerned, they can spend the rest of their lives in Hell. God Bless Peter Boy. May he rest in peace.

        • Just the opposite. By having more children, parents can get more welfare and other government handouts. More like this father should have NEVER had children because he was an out of control abusive person who beat his kids, probably even to the point of beating one of them to death.

    • I KNOW EXACTLY “What the heck are you talking about”—-EVERYONE SHARED and RESPECTED and someone would have intervened when they saw the FIRST SIGNS (maybe a Hanai Family(?)). (“It takes a Village to raise a child”..)

  • It would be so good to see justice done in this sad case. So terrible that so many parents can’t appreciate that their children are gifts to be nurtured and treasured. RIP, Peter Boy.

  • Former Admin Prosecutor’s were too afraid they couldn’t prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt so they cancelled a planned indictment many years ago. The Kema’s statements were completely refuted by original investigators, including the trip to Oahu. Sad this case should have been put to rest many years ago.

  • SA, surely you can report with more detail about what’s happening here. Why did it take so long? What new evidence has been discovered that led to this arrest?

    Please, do some real reporting.

  • All I have to to say to that mother, Mrs. Kema. Its time to tell the real truth and make things pono with God for the sake of your poor baby, who never deserved either of you as parents. Stop defending that scumbag husband of yours. I hope you make the right decision and come clean or you will continue to live the remainder of your life in hell on earth & beyond, as you have been for the past 19 years. There is no turning back anymore so do what you know in your heart is the right thing. You owe that poor child at least that much. Rest in Love PBK Jr….we pray for justice and peace for the remaining siblings.

Click here to view ongoing news coverage of the Maui wildfires. Sign up for our free e-newsletter to get the latest news delivered to your inbox. Download the Honolulu Star-Advertiser mobile app to stay on top of breaking news coverage.

Be the first to know
Get web push notifications from Star-Advertiser when the next breaking story happens — it's FREE! You just need a supported web browser.
Subscribe for this feature

Scroll Up