Police arrested a 26-year-old Pahoa man on suspicion of second-degree murder after his uncle’s body was found with “apparent injuries to his head and body” early Monday morning in the middle of Highway 137 in lower Puna.
Daryl Peneaux was taken into custody Monday morning police said. According to a written police statement, Peneaux told officers that he had been “involved in a physical altercation” with his uncle, 38-year-old Reginald Little Brave.
The statement didn’t elaborate on the nature of the apparent injuries sustained by Little Brave.
Police said Little Brave’s body was found on the roadway northeast of Kama‘ili Road between MacKenzie State Recreation Area and Pohoiki. Officers responded to the scene at about 1:56 a.m. after a passing motorist reported a body lying in the middle of the road.
The highway was closed for several hours while detectives combed the scene.
As of late Monday afternoon, charges hadn’t been filed against Peneaux and detectives were investigating. An autopsy has been ordered on Little Brave’s body to determine the exact cause of death.
A search of Hawaii court records turned up no prior criminal charges for Peneaux.
Peneaux’s Facebook page said he lives in Pohoiki, that he is originally from Mission, S.D., and went to Crazy Horse High School in Wanblee, S.D.
Mission is within the Rosebud Indian Reservation while Crazy Horse High School is within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Both reservations are to the east of the Black Hills National Forest.
A call to Acting Lt. Todd Pataray of the Hawaii Police Department’s Hilo Criminal Investigations Section hadn’t been returned as of this posting.
Potential witnesses or anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the police non-emergency line at 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.