MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaiʻi Island police are attempting to identify a decomposing body that was found in a ravine while police were searching for a Hilo couple who had been reported missing.

Masaru Miyamoto, 93, and his 88-year-old wife, Tamie Miyamoto, had not been seen since October 11.

On Friday afternoon (October 16), police located the decomposing body of an unidentified man at the bottom of a ravine behind a home on Kahema Street. They searched the surrounding area and found the missing woman in thick vegetation.

Police learned that the Miyamotos had been doing yard work for relatives who were off island and that they frequently picked warabi behind the house.

Tamie Miyamoto and the unidentified body were taken to Hilo Medical Center, where the man was officially pronounced dead. Tamie Miyamoto remains at the hospital, where she is being treated for exposure.

Police do not suspect foul play. Detectives are still attempting to confirm the man’s identity.

Update: Police ID body as husband