Update at 3:12 a.m. July 21, 2025: Hawai‘i Island police on Sunday afternoon recovered the bodies of two women from within a massive iconic banyan tree that uprooted and crashed down a week ago across Kilauea Avenue and onto a portion of nearby Calvary Chapel Hilo on the west banks of the Wailoa State Recreation Area lagoon.
Personnel with Hawai‘i Police Department Area I Criminal Investigation Section, Hawai‘i Fire Department and a body removal service extricated the bodies from deep within the tangled debris of downed banyan tree, which fell July 12.
Preliminary observations indicate the women were likely struck by falling tree limbs. Both were pronounced dead at 4:28 p.m. Sunday.
Autopsies will be conducted later this week to determine their exact cause of death. Police do not suspect foul play at this time.
The identities of the victims have not been released, pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.
Police responded to the scene at 9:41 a.m. after reports of possible human remains being located deep within the fallen banyan tree — just up the street from Chiefess Kapi‘olani Elementary, not too far from Cafe 100, and across the street from Roxy’s Salon, right behind Just Cruisin Coffee, a short walk from the Hilo Burger Joint.
Hawai‘i Fire Department personnel confirmed the presence of human remains, but were unable to extricate them because of safety concerns.
Crews from Hawai‘i County Department of Public Works, a county-contracted tree trimming company and Hawai‘i Fire Department spent several hours cutting away large branches to gain access to the victims.
Kīlauea Avenue, between Mohouli Street and Pauahi Street, was closed for several hours while debris was removed and officials conducted search and recovery efforts.
Hawai‘i Fire Department and Hawai‘i Police Department personnel responded to the scene of the downed banyan tree — the first unit arrived at 3:46 p.m., just 6 minutes after the surprise uprooting — July 12 to find its branches laying across all lanes of Kīlauea Avenue and on top of a portion of Calvary Chapel Hilo.
One vehicle was also found under the fallen tree’s branches on the roadway. The occupants were able to get out of the vehicle and from under the banyon’s felled canopy prior to the arrival of first responders.
Video from a surveillance camera at Roxy’s Salon looking makai across the street captured the moment mere seconds before 3:40 p.m., when the giant banyan tree begins to topple.
About 10 seconds — less time than everyone inside the salon can react — is all it takes for the huge Ficus to fall.
Several power and utility poles are violently yanked from the adjacent cement sidewalk when the cascading canopy catches one, hooks lines connecting others and they fall like dominoes — at least one snapping like a twig — eventually leaving power lines snaking across both sides of the street blocked by the buckled banyan.
A total of 24 Hawai‘i Fire Department personnel responded along with 13 various emergency and other units, including two engines, three Fire Department medic units, the on-duty battalion chief, one ladder truck, one rescue unit, one heavy rescue unit, one investigation unit, two additional specialized units and one American Medical Rescue ambulance unit.
The discovery of the two women within the banyan tree debris came as a sorrowful revelation to many as they learned and read about it Sunday across social media.
Especially after the community’s resounding relief when it seemed no one was seriously injured — or worse — in the estimated by many 100-plus-year-old tree’s uprooting.
Hawai‘i Fire Department reported the day the banyan fell that the surrounding area was searched and evacuated.
Calvary Chapel Hilo, which was damaged by the tree falling on part of its building, was searched and cleared. Bystander videos of the banyan toppling over were even reported to have been reviewed to account for pedestrians or other vehicles that might have been caught under the tree.
A Hawai‘i Fire Department drone was used to obtain an aerial survey of the incident area.
Fire Department personnel were at the scene for nearly 2 hours before turning it over to Hawai‘i Police Department, Hawaiian Electric, Hawai‘i Department of Public Works and Hawaiian Telcom, with the department’s last unit back in quarters by 5:53 p.m.
The recovery of the two women’s bodies also came 2 days after Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda spoke briefly about the banyan tree situation in his weekly update on social media.
He continued to express the community’s sense of relief, giving thanks that no one go hurt, before speaking about the efforts of crews to get Kīlauea Avenue open again and utilities and communications reconnected after the tree fell without knowing anything about the tragedy that would unfold this past weekend within the now twisted branches of its collapsed canopy.
“I just want you to know, that’s not the county’s banyan tree. That’s the state and maybe even Kamehameha Schools,” Alameda said in his July 18 update. “But because of public safety, our crew, along with Hawaiian Tel and HECO were down there, restoring electricity and communication lines. And what I thought would take 3 days before the road could open took 1 day. Unbelievable.”
Kīlauea Avenue was closed between Mohouli Street and Hōkū Street from shortly after the banyan tree fell just before 4 p.m. July 12 until Hawai‘i Police Department reported at 6:36 a.m. July 14 that both lanes of traffic were again open.
“I CANNOT BELIEVE that a more thorough assessment/investigation of the situation and area was not done at the time the tree fell. And we all been driving by like nothing,” replied Tiffany Kahumoku to a KHON2 post on Facebook about the human remains being found Sunday under the banyan tree. “Condolences to the family.”
Kristie-Lee Oshiro explained in a reply to the same post that her first thought when the banyan toppled over was that first responders would search for people among the tree’s fallen branches “because we all know homeless sleep under these big trees.”
She just assumed they’d automatically check that: “I guess not.”
Many commenters were confused why ownership of the property where the banyan tree fell or the tree itself mattered for police or first responders to have the authority to search for human remains, bodies, victims or survivors during an incident such as this.
“Church property or not, it needed to be checked,” Liz Myhre replied to the KHON2 post, adding she hopes the two women “passed quickly” and weren’t stuck alive under there for awhile.
“I hope they passed quickly as well,” wrote Mary Urbanski in reply to Myhre. “Sickens me to think otherwise.”
Anyone with information related to this investigation is urged to contact Detective Sybastian Keltner with Hawai‘i Police Department Area I Criminal Investigation Section at 808-961-2378 or via email at sybastian.keltner@hawaiicounty.gov.
Those who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.
News reporter Nathan Christophel contributed to this story.
Original post at 12:25 p.m. July 20, 2025: The Hawaiʻi Police Department advises motorists to avoid Kīlauea Avenue between Mohouli Street and Pauahi Street near the fallen banyan tree.
Police are currently investigating reports of human remains found in the area while road crews are working to clear portions of the tree for the next six hours.
Anyone with information relative to this investigation is encouraged to call the Hawai’i Police Department’s non-emergency number at 808-935-3311.
Story will be updated with any changes to information available.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
