A 33-year-old Hawi man is facing a manslaughter charge stemming from the 2003 death of his 2-month-old son in Ka’u.
Gilbert G. Dancel Jr. was indicted March 12 by a Big Island grand jury on one count manslaughter in connection with the March 24, 2003, death of Kaikela Medeiros-Dancel, according to 3rd Circuit Court records. A $20,000 bench warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest.
Medeiros-Dancel, who resided in Kahuku, died of “abusive head trauma,” according to a 2003 Hawaii Police Department statement and West Hawaii Today archives. Dancel had summoned emergency help for the boy, saying the infant was having trouble breathing, but Medeiros-Dancel later died at Ka‘u Hospital.
Police initially investigated the case as a coroner’s inquest, but reclassified it to a manslaughter investigation after an autopsy indicated the boy died of abuse, according to police.
Police Area II Criminal Investigations Section Capt. Chad Basque said Wednesday afternoon that police investigated the case and referred it to the Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney prior to 2005. He was unable to immediately provide the date it was referred, explaining that because the department changed its records system in 2005 he did not have access to the information, which is currently stored in Hilo.
Years went by and in early 2011 prosecutors asked police to conduct a follow-up investigation and advise Dancel of his rights, Basque said before noting police referred the case back to prosecutors in May. He referred further questions on the case to prosecutors.
Hawaii County Prosecutor Charlene Iboshi said many factors delayed the case from reaching the courts until 2012. However, she declined to delve into those factors noting she did not want to “taint” the case prior to trial.
Iboshi said the reasons would be revealed primarily in pretrial statements as the case progresses through the court system.
Manslaughter is a class A felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment and a $50,000 maximum fine, according to Hawaii Revised Statutes. The statute of limitations to initiate legal proceedings in a manslaughter case is 10 years, Iboshi said.
