UPDATE: Puna Man Arrested on Suspicion of Three Leilani Estate Murders

John Ali Hoffman. HPD photo.

***Updated at 3:10 p.m. with additional information from the Hawai’i Police Department.***

Two of the three bodies found dead early Friday morning in Leilani Estates are children, according to the Hawai’i Police Department.

HPD says that it arrested 49-year-old John Ali Hoffman after responding to a call of a disturbance at around 1:30 a.m. Hoffman was driving a vehicle away from the scene with no lights on when it was stopped. He was arrested when a firearm was found on the front scene of his car.

After making the arrest, officers observed blood dripping from the back of the vehicle that Hoffman was operating. They opened the trunk of the car and found the body of a deceased woman.

HPD then checked the Moku Street home that was disurbance call was centered on and found the bodies of two children, a male and a female.

The identities of the three bodies have not been positively identified. An autopsy is schedule to happen on Friday.

Anyone with information on the incident should reach Detective Scott Amaral by phone at 961-2276 or via e-mail at scott.amaral@hawaiicounty.gov, or by calling HPD’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.

Anonymous information can be phoned in to the Crime Stoppers hotline at 961-8300.

***Original story posted at 9:33 a.m.***

John Ali Hoffman, 49, has been arrested by authorities on suspicion of multiple murders.

The Hawai’i Police Department responded to a disturbance call in the Leilani Estates Subdivision in Puna at around 1:30 a.m. Friday.

A vehicle was seen leaving the area as officers arrived. The vehicle was stopped by police, who discovered the body of an adult female inside.

Police discovered two additional bodies in the home of the reported disturbance.

Hoffman, a resident of Leilani Estates, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree murder, and a firearms offense.

He is currently being held at the Hilo police cellblock as the investigation continues.