Pathologist rules suicide in case of body found at Hilo homeless encampment

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A 28-year-old man whose body was found Friday night at a Hilo homeless encampment died of a suicide, an autopsy conducted Tuesday morning found.

The pathologist determined that Isaac Wessel-Rivera’s cause of death was hanging, and the manner of death was ruled a suicide, the Hawaii Police Department said in a Wednesday morning media release.

Shortly before 9 p.m. Friday, South Hilo Patrol officers responded to a report and discovered Wessel-Rivera’s body within the encampment. Thirty-two-year-old Westen Tegman of Hilo was taken into custody for questioning.

“In the review of developments in this investigation and in light of the autopsy findings, Tegman has been cleared and, there are no pending criminal charges against him,” police said in the Tuesday media release also noting that he’d been released from police custody.