Police arrest dad, second
man in girl’s
disappearance
HONOLULU (AP) — Police have arrested the father of a missing 18-month-old girl and a second man on suspicion of second-degree murder.
Travis Rodrigues, 40, was taken into custody Saturday after he and his daughter, Kytana Acong, disappeared about two weeks ago. A 48-year-old man who was not immediately identified was arrested later in the day.
A Honolulu police investigation determined “foul play was involved” in the girl’s disappearance before Rodrigues was found in the Ko Olina area on Oahu, authorities said.
Police said Friday that Kytana’s mother, Ashley Ancog, dropped the girl off with Rodrigues at his home on Jan. 31.
Rodrigues and the girl were not seen for several days afterward, and the family filed a missing persons report last week.
Honolulu police searched his home Friday night.
The FBI is helping police in the investigation.
Rodrigues, who served time in federal prison for felony drug and weapons convictions, is also known as Travis Heffelinger and Travis Heffelfinger.
The toddler’s grandmother, Lisa Mora, said Saturday that her daughter and Kytana came to live with her in March and stayed until a month ago. Mora said she has never met Rodrigues.
Mora has posted videos of Kytana on social media and made an impassioned online plea last week for help finding the girl.
“She is a happy, bright, normal child. She is always curious, playing and laughing. She loves music, playing with the dogs,” Mora said. “It’s hard because she’s really trusting.”
Podcast to
tell modern
Micronesian
history
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — A podcast focused on Guam’s history aims to deliver a greater understanding of the people and ideas that helped shape modern Micronesia.
The producers of Memoirs Pasifika hope to increase interest in events that influenced contemporary Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia, Pacific Daily News reported Sunday.
The podcast also plans to consider Micronesia’s impact on the global stage.
Each episode explores a different modern history topic, largely told through interviews with people who witnessed or participated in events.
“Micronesia is a group of tiny islands with a big history,” producer Tony Azios said in a statement. “Despite possessing a wealth of fascinating stories, very few podcasts discuss Micronesia’s unique history or tap into the region’s archival collections.”
Memoirs Pasifika is “dedicated to recent Micronesian history — while giving voice to the people who lived it,” Azios said.
The show works with experts, including history and Micronesian studies professors at the University of Guam and officials from regional archival organizations such as the Micronesian Area Research Center.
The first episode, “Christmas Odyssey in Vietnam,” tells the story of Guam Gov. Carlos Camacho’s 1969 trip to visit troops from the U.S. territory serving in Vietnam.
The Memoirs Pasifika podcast is available for download and streaming across music and social media sites, the producers said.
