State Land Department ‘deeply saddened’ by ‘loss of life’ at site of felled banyan tree in Hilo

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources issued a statement July 25 saying officials are “deeply saddened” by the “loss of life” following the tragic recovery nearly a week ago of the bodies of two women from within the tangled and twisted branches of a massive felled banyan tree along Kīlauea Avenue in Hilo.

They also provided an update about when the tree’s removal will finally begin.

“We at [Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources] are deeply saddened by the loss of life at the site where the banyan tree fell in Hilo last week,” the department’s statement said. “Our hearts go out to the families affected by this tragedy.”

The state Land Department’s words come about 2 weeks after a huge banyan tree uprooted and collapsed the afternoon of July 12 across Kīlauea Avenue and on top of a portion of nearby Calvary Chapel Hilo on the west banks of the Wailoa State Recreation Area lagoon.

Personnel with Hawai‘i Police Department Area I Criminal Investigation Section, Hawai‘i Fire Department and a body removal service extricated the women’s bodies the afternoon of July 20 — more than a week after the tree toppled over.

Preliminary observations indicated the two women were likely struck by falling tree’s limbs. Both were pronounced dead at 4:28 p.m. that afternoon.

Autopsies were scheduled for late this week to determine their exact cause of death.

Their identities have not been released officially; however, several media outlets and many people across social media — including family members — “unofficially” ID’d the women as a couple who frequented the area to fish the lagoon and hang out.

Savana Moore, an older sister of one of the victims, also organized a GoFundMe campaign to help “Lay Trisha and Michelle to Rest with Love.”

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources says public access to the site is prohibited.

Temporary fencing is in place around the property and there is an increased presence of Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement personnel in the area.

A contractor was hired to trim and remove the massive tree, including the entire root ball, with work scheduled to begin July 29.

Another question that seems to have been up for debate since the banyan buckled also became somewhat more clear with the state Land Department’s statement.

“The fallen tree was at least partially on [Department of Land and Natural Resources] land, and our records show regular maintenance on the tree dating back to at least 2006, with the most recent service in 2021,” said the department. “In every instance, the tree maintenance was performed by a licensed contractor with certified arborists.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: There has been a lot of confusion and misinformation surrounding this incident. Big Island Now is following the story closely, but in the best interest of its readers, choosing to bring you information when it can without adding rumor and gossip, if possible. As an example, while we could have “unofficially” identified the two women found within the tree as other media outlets did this week, we chose not to because we were unable to confirm their identities through other sources first. Instead, we included the GoFundMe campaign from one of the victim’s sisters as a source of the “unofficial” identifications. We hope you understand. This is a developing story, so keep your eyes on Big Island Now for more information as it is made available.

News reporter Nathan Christophel contributed to this story.