Police: Body found near Puna coastline
Police say a Hawaii Fire Department dive team searching for an opihi picker reported missing Sunday morning have recovered a male body from the water along the Puna coastline Sunday afternoon.
Police are holding off on confirming that it is the body of the missing opihi picker, 39-year-old Seth Waltjen of Hilo, as they await positive identification and notification of next of kin.
Waltjen failed to return from picking opihi on Saturday afternoon near the cliffs on Old Government Road between Hawaiian Paradise Park and Hawaiian Beaches subdivisions, according to friends.
The body was transported to the Hilo Medical Center where an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.
