A search for a 62-year-old man reported missing after going swimming off Waipio Valley early this week will continue today in a reduced form.
While the US Coast Guard called off its participation as of Thursday night, the Hawaii Fire Department will look for another day at the request of the victim’s family, Battalion Chief Michael Hayashida told Big Island Now this morning.
Meanwhile, questions remain regarding the missing man’s identity.
The Hawaii Police Department on Wednesday identified the man as Kevin Devlin, also known as Shawn Devlin, of Honoka`a.
Police spokeswoman Chris Loos said that was based on identification found with the man’s possessions which the fire department reported were found “neatly stacked” by the shoreline.
She said the name was found on a picture ID in those possessions. It was not a driver’s license issued by the state of Hawaii.
Police continue to investigate the matter, Loos said this morning.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard since Thursday has been identifying the missing man as John Spillane.
Petty Officer Eric Chandler of the 14th Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office said that its command center is convinced that Spillane is the man’s name, but Chandler could not provide information as to why.
The photos of the missing man provided by both police and the Coast Guard appear identical.
The fire department said Tuesday that the man had been reported missing by a friend at 10:05 that morning. The friend said that he had last seen the man at about 6:30 p.m. Monday when the man said he was going for a swim.
In the days since, the fire department conducted an intensive search from the shoreline, on the water and from the air.
The Coast Guard said since its assistance was requested at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday it has covered an area of more than 3,750 square miles using boats and aircraft. The effort included using computer software and data buoys to gauge currents and calculate the most likely areas to search.
***Updated at 10:07 a.m. to clarify the type of identification found by firefighters at the Waipio Valley shoreline.***
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