Hawai‘i Island police forward murder investigation of infant to prosecutor’s office

Hawai‘i Island police detectives have forwarded a 2022 Puna murder investigation to the County Prosecutor’s office for review.

The following information was provided in an April 4 news release from the Hawai‘i Island Police Department:

The victim is identified as 5-month-old Makia Alameda of Kalapana.

On Dec. 31, 2022, shortly after 4 a.m., 911 dispatchers received a call from the child’s 21-year-old mother, that she and her boyfriend were headed from their Kalapana residence toward the Pāhoa Fire Station with their unresponsive 5-month-old baby boy.

Puna patrol officers and Hawai’i Fire Department personnel intercepted the vehicle on Highway 130 near Leilani Estates. HFD personnel immediately began attempting life-saving measures on the baby while transporting him via ambulance to the Hilo Medical Center Emergency Room.

Makia was later pronounced dead at 5:54 a.m.   

During this investigation, detectives with the Area I Criminal Investigation Section conducted numerous interviews with the child’s parents, as well as other witnesses, and performed many follow-ups. The scene was identified and processed, and items of evidence were recovered.

An autopsy was performed on Jan. 2, 2023, and the forensic pathologist ruled the cause of death was asphyxia, and the manner of death was determined to be homicide. The baby was also noted to have acute blunt force injuries, as well as some in the healing stages.

This case was initially classified as a coroner’s inquest investigation until detectives received the final autopsy report in late 2023 when it was reclassified to second-degree murder. 

Police ask anyone with information about this case to contact the Area I Criminal Investigation Section, at 808-961-2255.