UPDATE: Body Found Monday Identified, Was Victim of Homicide

Police have initiated a homicide investigation in connection with human remains found Monday near Puako.

The body was identified through dental records as a 37-year-old Kailua-Kona man who had been reported missing by his family on Jan. 17.

Robert Keawe Lopaka Ryder had not been heard from since Thanksgiving, his family told police.

The circle indicates the approximate area where the remains were found. Google Maps image.

An autopsy has determined that the cause of death was blunt-force trauma to the head, police said today.

Ryder’s body was located late Monday afternoon in brushland about halfway between Puako Beach Drive and the Queen Kaahumanu Highway.