Police identify homicide victim discovered buried in Ka‘ū District in late July

The homicide victim discovered buried in the Ka‘ū District in late July 2022 has been identified by Hawai’i Island police as 36-year-old George “Eddie” Dodge of Mountain View.

Dodge was reported missing on July 7, 2022, after not being seen or heard from for a couple weeks.

On July 27, 2022, detectives with the Area I Criminal Investigation Section responded to a call about a partially buried body on a remote side road off of Highway 11, south of the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park boundary.

The next day the badly decomposed body was exhumed from the shallow grave.

After an autopsy was performed on July 29, the forensic pathologist ruled the manner of death homicide. The exact cause is still under investigation and the final autopsy results are pending.

Due to the condition of Dodge’s body, he had to be identified by DNA comparison.    

Anyone who may have information about this case can call the police department’s non-emergency number at 808-935-3311 or Det. Jeremy Kubojiri at 808-961-2378 or email Jeremy.Kubojiri@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at 808-961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.