In July 2021, 76-year-old Michael Rosenbaum disappeared from Pahoa. Nine days later, a fisherman spotted a body below the lava cliffs at MacKenzie State Recreation Area. It wasn’t an accident. He’d been shot.

Four years on, the case is still open. No arrests. No suspects named. We trace the timeline, the gaps, and the silence that still hangs over Puna—and we ask for the one detail that could turn this into justice.

Know something? Call Hawaii Island CrimeStoppers at (808) 961-8300. You can remain anonymous.

Sources

• Hawaii Police Department – “Police Seek Leads in July 2021 Puna Murder” (June 30, 2025): https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/police-seek-leads-in-july-2021-puna-murder

• Hawaii News Now – “Hawaii Island police seek leads in 2021 unsolved murder” (June 30, 2025): https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/07/01/hawaii-island-police-seek-leads-2021-unsolved-murder/

• Big Island Now – “Police seek leads regarding an unsolved murder…” (June 30, 2025): https://bigislandnow.com/2025/06/30/police-seek-leads-regarding-an-unsolved-murder-from-nearly-four-years-ago/

• HPD Media Release (Nov 14, 2023): https://www.hawaiipolice.com/11-14-23-police-renew-request-for-leads-in-july-2021-murder-of-elderly-puna-man

• Big Island Video News (Jul 17, 2023): https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2023/07/17/police-seeking-leads-in-july-2021-murder-of-michael-rosenbaum/

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