HPD: Missing woman found in Waikele died by strangulation

A man murdered a woman in Waikele and then shot himself in the Ala Moana Hotel Thursday, police said.

Police discovered the body of Johnalynn Ilae, 36, in a bathtub, her wrists bound, in a Waikele apartment complex on Saturday, after finding her suspected killer, Frank Camaro, 46, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Honolulu Police Department homicide lieutenant Deena Thoemmes said at a news conference Monday.

An autopsy classified Ilae’s death as a homicide by strangulation, Thoemmes said.

Police had found Camaro’s body on Thursday when Ilae was considered missing, and investigators began looking into whether there was any connection.

Ilae, an employee of First Hawaiian Bank for eight years, and Camaro, a paralegal, knew each other through his wife.

The two met up at White Plains Beach “to discuss things in his vehicle” on Thursday, Thoemmes said. They later drove to the Waikele apartment, said to belong to a relative of Camaro, where “there was an altercation” over “some family matters,” Thoemmes said. “Frank was able to gain control over her and strangled her,” she said.

Asked by a TV reporter whether police were looking at “possibly a love triangle,” Thoemmes replied, “We’re not going to confirm anything.”

Camaro left Waikele for the Ala Moana Hotel, where he was later found dead, Thoemmes said.

Police were notified of the gunshot in the hotel “by utilizing digital devices,” Thoemmes said.

The Ala Moana Hotel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.