LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Police Department officials say detectives are continuing to investigate several murders on island — including the most recent, Amber Jackson of Kapa‘a. While they would not comment on whether any persons of interest have been identified in
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Police Department officials say detectives are continuing to investigate several murders on island — including the most recent, Amber Jackson of Kapa‘a.
While they would not comment on whether any persons of interest have been identified in the Jackson case, they did say they have definitive evidence that the Jackson case and two murders and rapes that occurred on the Westside in 2000 are not related.
“There is no circumstantial or physical evidence, testimony or suggestion or even suspicion that a connection exists,” police officials said in an e-mail response to several recent questions. “To further expand would reveal intimate details of both cases that cannot be disclosed. If we did we would jeopardize the investigations.”
Jackson, 57, of Kapa‘a, was last seen alive on the night of June 23. Her body was found by a hunter in a remote, wooded area in Kealia on July 3. An autopsy revealed the injuries leading to her death were the result of an assault.
Of over $10,000 pledged as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer or killers, $1,000 was given to the hunter who found her body and alerted authorities, said Tom Summers, a friend and former employer of Jackson’s.
Friends who earlier gathered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Jackson’s safe return have since pledged that money to anyone providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of the murderer or murderers.
Friends at the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association, where Jackson worked in the Lihu‘e office as a secretary, have also pledged a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in her murder case.
Roy Asher, KPD assistant chief in charge of the Investigative Services Bureau, has said detectives have been following up on every tip received in any manner, including the dispatch line, 241-1711, and Crime Stoppers, 241-1887.
The victims in the three unsolved murders — Jackson’s and two on the Westside 10 years ago — are similar in the fact that all of the victims were thin, Caucasian women.
Two women were raped and murdered and another was assaulted but survived in 2000. Authorities have not said if Jackson was sexually assaulted. Police said they suspect the crimes committed against the two victims in 2000 are related.
A 43-year-old Maui surfer’s body was found Aug. 30, 2000, near her campsite at Pakala Beach.
The semi-clothed body of a 38-year-old woman was found April 7 that year in a ditch near Polihale State Park.
A 52-year-old Kekaha woman escaped with her life May 22, 2000, after being stabbed in a foiled sexual assault. She was unable to identify her suspected assailant.
The three cases remain open, Asher said.
• Paul C. Curtis, assistant editor and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com.
LIHU‘E — The nephew of murder victim Amber Jackson said Mondaythat he shares the public’s frustration over the lack of detailsauthorities are releasing regarding the investigation.
Matthew Alexander said he is particularly concerned with how longit took Kaua‘i police detectives to send out for testing DNAevidence recovered at the Kealia crime scene where her lifelessbody was discovered.
“What overwhelms me is that it took so long to send out the DNA,”he said. “I can’t get a grasp on why it takes so long to dothat.”
Alexander said he has not received any information on his aunt’smurder investigation in about a month, has not had much luckgetting telephone calls to KPD detectives returned, and found outvia a KPD e-mail that DNA evidence was sent out for analysis sometwo months after the discovery of Jackson’s dead body in a remoteKealia location July 3.
He said he had not been informed about any DNA results when lastcontacted by KPD detectives via e-mail about two weeks ago.
