HANAPEPE – As Kaua’i police officers continue their investigation into the murder of a 38-year-old Hanapepe woman, residents of this tiny Westside community are staying close to home. “Older people walked in the morning. Some went fishing. But they have
HANAPEPE – As Kaua’i police officers continue their investigation into the
murder of a 38-year-old Hanapepe woman, residents of this tiny Westside
community are staying close to home.
“Older people walked in the morning.
Some went fishing. But they have been holding back,” said KPD Lt. Bill
Ching.
Women joggers also have cut back on their afternoon runs, he
said.
The partially clad body of Lisa Bissell was found in a Kekaha ditch
last Friday. Ching said an autopsy showed there was semen in the woman’s body
before she was killed, suggesting that she was either raped or consented to sex
a day before her death.
Results of the autopsy and the cause of death have
not been released due to the ongoing investigation.
Without elaborating,
Ching said investigators have made significant strides in their probe of the
murder.
“We know a lot more than we did since the murder, but I can’t say
anymore than that,” he said.
Ching said evidence has been sent to the FBI
and that an evaluation of the evidence could lead to the identification of the
perpetrator or perpetrators of the crime.
Shortly after Bissell’s body was
found, police questioned six suspects. They were released for lack of evidence
to keep them in custody.
Bissell’s body was discovered by two fishermen
about 2 p.m. Friday in an irrigation ditch along a haul cane road located about
a mile east of Polihale State Park.
Police are seeking the whereabouts of
an elderly couple who walked their dog in Waimea on the morning of the day
Bissell’s body was found.
The couple might have information about the
crime, Ching said.
The Crime Stoppers program, which is sponsored by the
Kaua’i Chamber of Commerce and administered by the Kaua’i Police Department, is
offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the identification and
arrest of those responsible for Bissell’s death.
People with information
can contact Crime Stoppers at 241-6787 or Lt. Ching at 241-6763, Det. Sgt. Sam
Sheldon at 241-6702 or Det. Sgt. Marvin Rivera at 241-6745.
All calls are
anonymous.
