HONOLULU — Possible human remains were found Tuesday morning at the site of 3015 Hibiscus Drive two days after an Oahu handyman reportedly stabbed a woman and killed two officers before the house he and two women were believed to be inside burned.
At least one set of remains was found, Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard told reporters Tuesday. The body has yet to be identified.
“We have located some remains in the rubble, ” Ballard said. “We’re going to continue searching, but obviously we really don’t know until identifications are made because it is only bones.
“From my understanding the rubble is close to a foot deep, so to sift through all of that monumental task for the officers as well as for the firefighters, ” she said.
After her remarks, Ballard and other HPD officers, including Deputy Chief John McCarthy, went to the scene. Two Emergency Medical Services vehicles, including an ambulance, were posted near the Emergency Management Command Center in nearby Kapiolani Park, which continued to smell of smoke.
FBI personnel, HPD investigators and other authorities were attempting to recover the remains Tuesday afternoon.
Search crews were looking for the remains of homeowner Lois Cain and the suspected shooter, Jaroslav “Jerry” Hanel, a tenant of the home who was about to get evicted.
The landlord-tenant dispute exploded at about 9 a.m. Sunday when Hanel allegedly attacked Cain, another tenant and then fatally shot police officers and, who were responding to a woman’s 911 call for help.
Cain, 77, and Hanel, 69, are believed to have been inside 3015 Hibiscus Drive when the home erupted in flames after the shooting.
Firefighters were prevented from getting to the site because of gunfire or exploding ammunition coming from the burning house. The fire then spread and burned down or damaged about 12 homes in the neighborhood.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporters Cassie Ordonio and Allison Schaefers contributed to this report.
