Kauai Police Department Lt. Roy Asher confirmed the identity of the woman killed Wednesday in ‘Ele’ele as Sandra Galas, 27, of ‘Ele’ele. Galas was found dead outside her home in a parked vehicle last week under suspicious circumstances. Police detained
Kauai Police Department Lt. Roy Asher confirmed the identity of the woman killed Wednesday in ‘Ele’ele as Sandra Galas, 27, of ‘Ele’ele.
Galas was found dead outside her home in a parked vehicle last week under suspicious circumstances.
Police detained a man in relation to the suspected homicide, but released him Friday due to a lack of enough evidence to bring charges. “Right now we are still evaluating evidence and waiting for some forensic lab results,” Asher said. “We are not ruling him out, we just need to proceed with our investigation.”
The KPD is not ruling out other suspects as well and anyone who may have witnessed anything in the area of Laulea and Paani streets in ‘Ele’ele Wednesday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. is asked to call detectives Sam Sheldon or Marvin Rivera at 241-1687 or 241-1688.
Galas was supposed to show up for work at the Grand Hyatt in Po’ipu where she worked as an assistant food and beverage manager, said former coworker Jordan James. James is the general manager of The Beach House Restaurant in Po’ipu and worked with Galas for years up until the time she got a job at the Hyatt in November.
When Galas missed her shift around 2 in the afternoon her coworkers became concerned, Asher said. It was about the same time residents in the area were calling in reports of an unresponsive woman in a parked car in the lower ‘Ele’ele Nani subdivision.
That woman proved to be Galas. “Sandra was an outstanding young woman,” said James. “She had 90 friends who worked at the restaurant and 30 who wished they had known her better.”
Jordan said Galas had recently gone through a divorce and took the job at the Hyatt for the day shifts that would look better to the courts when it came time to determine custody of her two young children ages, 3 and 5.
Asher said the children are being cared for by their grandparents. “They are safe,” Asher said.
In a separate matter KPD detectives are asking anyone who may have been at the ‘Ele’ele Shopping Center Laundry Mat between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Wednesday to contact the above named detectives, or Asher at 241-1680.
