Tips still sought in theft at Volcano House

One of two people sought in association with the theft of a piece of artwork in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is no longer a suspect, but the other is still unidentified.

Late Jan. 13, a replica of a traditional Hawaiian feathered helmet called a mahiole was stolen from the Volcano House hotel in HVNP.

Surveillance cameras captured images of two people — a man and a woman — near where the helmet was kept around the time of the theft.

Since then, the woman has reached out to investigators and is no longer considered a person of interest, according to a National Park Service statement.

The other person — who appears in the blurry surveillance photo to be a man wearing a dark baseball cap and a bandana face covering and possibly carrying a large item beneath a bright red cloth — has not yet been identified. The National Park Service has renewed its request for public assistance in identifying the suspect.

The artwork was created by local artist Rick San Nicolas, who sold it to the hotel several years ago. Last week, Nicolas estimated that the mahiole’s value is “at least $30,000.”

Anyone with information about the incident or the suspect’s identity is asked to contact the National Park Service at (888) 653-0009 or at nps_isb@nps.gov. Volcano House has also offered a $500 reward for the mahiole’s safe return, and requests that anyone with information call (808) 930-6902.