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Charred human remains discovered by Hawaii firefighters in Hilo

The charred remains of what appears to be an adult female were discovered by Hawaii island firefighters today after they extinguished a blaze in a large banyan tree on Banyan Drive in Hilo across from the Reed’s Bay Beach Park.

Fire crews responded to the fire at 11:30 p.m. and found the remains only after the fire was put out, according to the Hawaii Fire Department.

After being called to the scene, police canvassed the area and interviewed a number of beachgoers but no one reported hearing any type of disturbance before seeing the smoke and flames from within the banyan tree.

The tree and adjacent brush area borders the Naniloa Golf Course and appears to be a homeless camp and hang out area, police said.

The victim’s remains were transported to Hilo Medical Center and officially pronounced dead at 1:51 p.m.

The cause of the fire is unknown, and it remains undetermined if foul play is involved in the death, police said.

An autopsy was scheduled for later this week.

The identity of the victim is pending identification and notification of next of kin. Due to the condition of the body, identification will be done by means of dental or DNA comparison, according to police.

Anyone who has any information about this case is urged to call the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2255, or the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.

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