Beneath the Palms: Hawaii's True Crime, Mysteries & Untold History

Matthew Joel Peak was 22 years old when his life ended in Waipio Valley, Hawaii. In 1999, he was living between Waipio and Puna, often hitchhiking through Hilo and sleeping in a simple camp in the valley. On June 1, beachgoers found a body buried in the sand near the beach. Fingerprints gave that body a name: Matthew.

What followed became one of Hawaii Island’s enduring cold cases. His death was ruled a homicide after investigators determined he died from asphyxia due to homicidal violence. No suspect has ever been publicly identified, and more than 25 years later, police are still asking for the one memory, conversation, ride, or detail that could matter.

Buried in Paradise goes beyond the case file to look at the young man behind the photograph, the life he was living in Waipio, the rumors that grew around his death, and the line between what people said and what investigators could actually prove.

If you knew Matthew, saw him around Waipio, Hilo, or Puna, gave him a ride, or remember anything from 1999 that may help, contact the Hawaii Police Unsolved Homicides Division at 808-961-2380, Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300, or [email protected]. Case F-96184.

Sources:
Matthew Peak Murder (F-96184), Hawaii Police Department
https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/matthew-peak-murder-f-96184/
Waipio Body Found Update 06/04/99, Hawaii Police Department
https://www.hawaiipolice.com/waipio-body-found-update-060499
Waipio Body Found Update 06/05/99, Hawaii Police Department
https://www.hawaiipolice.com/waipio-body-found-update-060599
Waipio Body Update 08/03/99, Hawaii Police Department
https://www.hawaiipolice.com/waipio-body-update-080399
Mystery of Waipio Valley murder still unsolved 25 years later, KHON2
https://www.khon2.com/hawaiis-unsolved-murders/mystery-of-waipio-valley-murder-still-unsolved-25-years-later/
Newspapers.com archival coverage: Hawaii Tribune-Herald, “Waipio Valley body identified” (June 6, 1999), “Foul play suspected in death” (Aug. 4, 1999), “Fear and loathing in Waipio Valley” (Nov. 15, 1999), “Police still seeking leads in these likely homicides” (May 25, 2003); Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “Police identify Waipio Valley body” (June 8, 1999); Honolulu Star-Bulletin, “Autopsy report due today on body found in Waipio” (June 4, 1999).
https://www.newspapers.com/
Wet and Wild: Waipio Valley, Los Angeles Times
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-03-tr-60670-story.html

Music: “Broken Wings” by Yoza, used with permission.

#MatthewPeak #WaipioValley #HawaiiTrueCrime #UnsolvedMurder #ColdCase

Who killed Lynn Ebisuzaki? In 1987, the 26-year-old Hilo woman stepped away from a home she was visiting and never came back. Police found her body nearby, and nearly four decades later her murder remains unsolved.

This episode of Beneath the Palms revisits the Lynn Ebisuzaki cold case from the beginning: the life she built in Hilo, her work, her years helping children at church, the timeline on May 1, 1987, the unidentified man seen near Hilo Airport with a bleeding hand, the original composite sketches, forensic evidence, and the later witness account involving another unidentified man seen arguing with Lynn before her death.

But this is not just a Hawaii cold case. Lynn was a daughter, sister, coworker, friend, and a familiar presence in her church community. People remembered her as quiet, friendly, caring and kind. When she died, people lined the street to say goodbye.

If you have information about Lynn's murder, contact Hawaii Police Detective Sybastian Keltner at 808-961-2326 or [email protected]. Anonymous tips: Crime Stoppers, 808-961-8300.

Sources:
Police Renew Request for Information Regarding 1987 Unsolved Homicide in Hilo
https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/police-renew-request-for-information-regarding-1987-unsolved-homicide-in-hilo/

Lynn Ebisuzaki Murder C-60060
https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/lynn-ebisuzaki-murder-c-60060/

Who killed Lynn Ebisuzaki? Victim in unsolved 1987 murder 'was a very kind person'
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/02/25/hawaii-news/who-killed-lynn-ebisuzaki-victim-in-unsolved-1987-murder-was-a-very-kind-person/

Lynn Emiko Ebisuzaki Obituary Archive
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/obituaries/8984/

Woman murdered in Hilo, May 3, 1987
https://www.newspapers.com/
Police Beat, May 3, 1987
https://www.newspapers.com/
2 murder cases on Big Island, May 4, 1987
https://www.newspapers.com/
Possible suspect is sought, May 5, 1987
https://www.newspapers.com/
Police describe suspect in slaying of woman, May 5, 1987
https://www.newspapers.com/
Man sought, May 6, 1987
https://www.newspapers.com/
Isle murders on the increase, July 23, 1987
https://www.newspapers.com/
Not 'outdoor shower,' August 11, 1987
https://www.newspapers.com/

Music: Yoza, "Broken Wings" | @yozamusic | https://yozamusic.com/

#LynnEbisuzaki #HawaiiTrueCrime #UnsolvedMurder #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast

Gill Jamieson. Myles Fukunaga. Punahou. Honolulu, 1928. A ten-year-old boy leaves school after being told his mother has been hurt. He never comes home.

Gill Jamieson was more than the child at the center of one of Hawaii’s most disturbing early true crime cases. He traveled with his father, went to birthday parties, learned piano, and had a life that should have stretched far beyond September 18, 1928. Instead, 19-year-old Myles Fukunaga took him from Punahou, killed him, demanded ransom from his family, and confessed after investigators traced the money back to him.

But the case did not end with the confession. Fukunaga’s rapid trial, questions about his mental condition, the racial climate of territorial Hawaii, the response of Hawaii’s Japanese community, his appeals, and his 1929 execution turned Gill’s murder into a debate about guilt, due process, race, mental illness, and capital punishment.

This episode of Beneath the Palms goes back before the headlines to restore Gill as a child first, while following the full case from kidnapping and investigation through trial, execution, and the questions that remain nearly a century later.

Sources and further reading:
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu Advertiser and Hawaii Tribune-Herald historical coverage via Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/

Fukunaga v. Territory of Hawaii, 33 F.2d 396 (9th Cir. 1929)
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/33/396/1497158/

Raced to Death in 1920s Hawaii: Injustice and Revenge in the Fukunaga Case, Jonathan Y. Okamura
https://academic.oup.com/illinois-scholarship-online/book/33883

Fukunaga case, Densho Encyclopedia
https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Fukunaga%20case

Myles Fukunaga: Racism in Hawaii, Then and Now, Hawaii Public Radio
https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/arts-culture/2019-10-08/myles-fukunaga-racism-in-hawaii-then-and-now

Poor Innocent Lad: The Tragic Death of Gill Jamieson and the Execution of Myles Fukunaga, Mike Farris
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Poor-Innocent-Lad/Mike-Farris/9781949135015

Hawaii State Archives
https://ags.hawaii.gov/archives/

Preservation Month: Iconic Oahu Cemetery Celebrates its 175th Anniversary, Historic Hawaii Foundation
https://historichawaii.org/article/preservation-month-iconic-o%CA%BBahu-cemetery-celebrates-its-175th-anniversary-this-august/

Moiliili Japanese Cemetery, Historic Hawaii Foundation
https://historichawaii.org/historic-property-oa/moiliili-japanese-cemetery/

Listener discretion: This episode discusses the kidnapping and murder of a child, suicide and mental-health concerns, racial prejudice, capital punishment, and execution.

#GillJamieson #MylesFukunaga #HawaiiTrueCrime #Punahou #TrueCrimeHistory

Simon Owen was 21 when he vanished near the Manoa Falls Trail on Oahu in June 1994. He had survived a broken neck, rebuilt his future, traveled through the Amazon and Europe, and come to Hawaii for a summer of work and adventure. Then his bicycle was found locked near the trail entrance, but Simon was nowhere to be found.

This episode of Beneath the Palms follows the disappearance of Simon Owen, the young Texas Wesleyan University student who worked at Chili's in Waikiki and spent his free time exploring the island. Coworkers noticed when he missed work. His room was undisturbed, his money and personal belongings were left behind, and everything suggested he expected to return.

Police officers, firefighters, volunteers, Army soldiers, Marines, climbers, helicopter crews, and dozens of Simon's coworkers searched Manoa Valley. His mother, Mitzi Lockett, flew from Texas, moved into his rented room, and helped lead searches for months. On the birthday she shared with her son, she carried two leis to the base of the falls. One was for her. The other was for Simon.

Police have long believed Simon may have left the maintained trail and fallen into steep terrain hidden beneath the valley's dense canopy. No physical evidence has ever proven that theory. More than three decades later, he remains missing.

This is not only the story of a missing Hawaii hiker. It is the story of a son, student, traveler, coworker, friend, and survivor whose family and classmates have never allowed the mystery to become his entire identity.

If you have information about Simon Owen or remember seeing him around Waikiki or Manoa in late June 1994, contact the Honolulu Police Department.

Sources

Lack of Evidence Makes Solving Cases Difficult
https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Apr/14/ln/ln12a.html

Simon Owen
https://charleyproject.org/case/simon-owen

Missing: Simon Owen | Honolulu, HI
https://uncovered.com/cases/simon-owen

Police Recognize Top Officers of Year
https://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/05/19/news/index8.html

Simon Owen Memorial Scholarship
https://www.gofundme.com/f/simon-owen-memorial-scholarship

Remote Viewing Newsletter: Simon Owen
https://hrvg.org/newsletter/2002-09/feature.html

Contemporary Newspaper Archive: Simon Owen Coverage, 1994 to 1996
https://www.newspapers.com/

Research, writing, and production by Aku Bone Media. Narration by Jubilee Lum. Closing music, "Broken Wings," courtesy of Yoza.

#SimonOwen #MissingPerson #ManoaFalls #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms

The Palmyra Atoll Murders began as an adventure. In 1974, experienced sailors Malcolm “Mac” Graham and Eleanor “Muff” Graham reached remote Palmyra Atoll aboard their yacht, Sea Wind, expecting months of isolation in the Pacific. Instead, they vanished.

Months later, the Sea Wind appeared in Hawaii with Buck Duane Walker and Stephanie Stearns aboard. The yacht had been altered and renamed, while Mac and Muff were nowhere to be found. Years later, Muff’s remains were discovered on Palmyra, leading to separate federal murder trials. Walker was convicted of Muff’s premeditated murder and sentenced to life. Stearns was tried separately and acquitted. Mac has never been found.

This episode of Beneath the Palms independently rebuilds the Palmyra Atoll murders from contemporary Hawaii and mainland reporting, federal court records, and later reporting. It also examines how And the Sea Will Tell, written by Stearns’ defense attorney Vincent Bugliosi with Bruce Henderson, shaped the version of this case most people know today.

This episode is dedicated to Ricky Griggs, with gratitude and respect for the work he gave to the Palmyra case. Thank you to Yoza for “Broken Wings.”

Sources
United States v. Stephanie K. Stearns, 550 F.2d 1167
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/550/1167/309429/
United States v. Stearns and Walker, 707 F.2d 391
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/707/391/230118/
United States v. Walker, 546 F. Supp. 805
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/546/805/1870478/
Despite Guilty Verdict, Mystery of Palmyra Lingers On
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-12-me-6125-story.html
Walker Gets Life Sentence for Murder of S.D. Woman
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-29-me-9816-story.html
Woman Acquitted in Island Slaying
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-02-me-1487-story.html
1974 Murder Victim Still Awaits Burial
https://www.cruisingworld.com/1974-murder-victim-still-awaits-burial/
Newspapers.com archive: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu Advertiser, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Connecticut Post, AP and UPI coverage
https://www.newspapers.com/
And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi and Bruce Henderson
https://brucehendersonbooks.com/books/and-the-sea-will-tell/

#PalmyraAtoll #HawaiiTrueCrime #TrueCrime #MacAndMuffGraham #AndTheSeaWillTell

Lisa Bissell was 38 when she was found on April 7, 2000—stabbed in a ditch off a roadway leading toward Polihale on Kauai. This episode follows the documented timeline that’s publicly available, then widens to the 2000 West Kauai violence cluster discussed in reporting, including the Kekaha attempted sexual assault where a surviving victim helped generate a composite sketch, and the later homicide near Pakala Beach that intensified public concern and investigative scrutiny.

This episode contains factual reporting on a homicide and an unresolved investigation. Some details may be disturbing. What follows is reconstructed from documented reporting and attributed official statements described in those reports, available at the time of release; some details may change as new information emerges. A clearly labeled Speculation Lane appears later, separate from the verified timeline. Listener discretion is advised.

If you have information related to this case, you can contact the Kauai County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney’s cold case line and investigators as listed on their official cold case page.

Sources:

Kauai County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney — Cold Case: “2000 – Lisa Bissell” (official case summary and tip contact info)

Honolulu Star-Bulletin — “Kauai may have a serial killer” (Sept. 1, 2000)

Honolulu Star-Bulletin — “Kauai’s unsolved slayings have police on the defensive” (Oct. 28, 2000)

Los Angeles Times — “Kauai Killings Remind Women That Avoiding Danger Is Up to Them” (Apr. 29, 2001)

#BeneathThePalms #TrueCrimePodcast #Kauai #Polihale #WestKauai #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder #HawaiiTrueCrime #KauaiPolice #MissingAndMurdered #JusticeForLisaBissell #IslandCrime #HawaiiPodcast

The Cliff, the Syringes, and the Surgeon | Revisited

On March 24, 2025, Arielle Konig went hiking above Nuʻuanu with her husband, Maui anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig. What began as a birthday trip ended with Arielle severely injured on the Pali Puka Trail, two hikers moving toward her screams, and an all-day search that ended with her husband’s arrest.

This fully rewritten episode follows the marriage before the trail, Arielle’s account of being forced toward the cliff, the alleged syringe, the rock attack, her rescue, the investigation, divorce proceedings, and the 2026 trial. Gerhardt admitted striking his wife with the rock but denied trying to inject her or push her over the edge. A jury rejected attempted murder and convicted him of attempted manslaughter based on extreme mental or emotional disturbance.

The case is not legally finished. His attorneys have asked the court to overturn the conviction and order a new trial, citing jurors’ public comments and an unverified claim involving the trial livestream. As of this episode’s recording, he remains convicted and in custody, but has not been sentenced.

This story centers Arielle not as courtroom evidence, but as a mother, engineer, working professional, and survivor. It also remembers the two strangers who heard a voice in danger and chose to walk toward it.

Listener discretion: This episode contains descriptions of domestic violence, attempted killing, severe physical assault, suicidal statements, and allegations involving medical equipment.

Sources

Maui woman details alleged attack by husband on Oahu hiking trail

Grand jury indicts Maui doctor for allegedly trying to kill wife on trail

Gerhardt Konig News Updates and Trial Coverage

Hawaii doctor’s son says father confessed he “tried to kill” wife

Jury begins deliberations in trial over Maui doctor accused of trying to kill wife

Doctor accused of trying to kill wife on hike found guilty

Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife convicted of attempted manslaughter

Honolulu Star-Advertiser coverage: March 25, 27, 28, 29 and April 1, 2025; May 27, 2025; March 20, 25, 26, April 9 and May 23, 2026

Help Arielle Konig Heal After Tragic Incident

Music: “Broken Wings” by Yoza.

#GerhardtKonig #ArielleKonig #HawaiiTrueCrime #PaliPukaTrail #BeneathThePalms

The Unsolved Murder of Jubilee “Maile” Lum

Jubilee “Maile” Lum was twenty-one years old, taking adult education classes, planning to marry on her next birthday, and, according to her mother, four months pregnant. On August 24, 1999, her body was found wrapped in layers of plastic behind a Honolulu florist.

The night before, Maile had reportedly been seen getting into a white or light-colored Ford Econoline van in Chinatown. A purple or turquoise pickup was also reported near the florist around the time her body was left there. Neither vehicle has been publicly identified, no suspect has been named, and her murder remains unsolved.

This episode follows Maile’s life before the headlines, the family who kept trying to bring her home, the wedding date she never reached, and the investigation that raised questions about another young woman, Michelle Anne Bensinger. Police believed the women probably knew each other, and the FBI later compared their cases with attacks on women on Kauaʻi, but no common killer was ever established.

Maile was not a label or a cautionary tale. She was a daughter, sister, fiancée, aunt, and young woman who helped care for the people around her while trying to find steadier ground for herself.

Anyone with information can contact Honolulu CrimeStoppers at 808-955-8300 or the Honolulu Police Department at 808-529-3111.

Sources

Jubilee Lum - Honolulu Police Department Cold Case
https://www.honolulupd.org/cold-case/jubilee-lum/

Lure of Street Life Strong for Murder Victim
https://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/09/24/news/story7.html

Police Pondering Whether Deaths Were Connected
https://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/08/27/news/story4.html

Link Uncovered in Deaths of Two Oahu Women
https://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/09/22/news/story2.html

Unsolved Cases Need Public’s Help
https://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/01/25/news/story2.html

New Leads Sought in Seven-Year-Old Slaying
https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jun/26/ln/FP606260343.html

Police Re-Investigate Unsolved Murder
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/5077097/police-re-investigate-unsolved-murder/

Honolulu Star-Bulletin Obituary: Jubilee “Maile” Lum
https://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/09/09/news/obits.html

Newspapers.com Archive: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu Advertiser, and Hawaii Tribune-Herald
https://www.newspapers.com/

Follow @BeneathThePalmsPodcast for episode visuals, archival material, and updates.

#JubileeLum #HawaiiTrueCrime #HonoluluColdCase #UnsolvedMurder #BeneathThePalms

Khilye Hamadani missing in Hawaii. Honolulu Airport. East Oahu. China Walls. Spitting Cave. This episode follows the public record of Khilye Hamadani, the 21-year-old woman who arrived in Honolulu on June 2, 2025, was later linked to the shoreline near Portlock and China Walls, and became the focus of a major multi-agency search off Oahu.

Some stories leave behind too much geography and not enough truth. A phone was traced to the Spitting Cave area. A bag was found near China Walls. Two white platform sneakers matching what she was reported to be wearing were recovered offshore near Waialae Beach Park. Search crews covered roughly 1,200 square miles over more than 100 combined hours before the search was suspended on June 7, 2025. During the same window, state officials were also warning again about the dangers at China Walls and Spitting Caves, where responders have repeatedly handled rescues, injuries, and deaths.

What remains is the missing middle: the distance between the airport and the shoreline, and the line between what the public record supports and what people online want to believe. This episode stays with the verified timeline, keeps rumor in its place, and does not present intent, accident, or foul play as established fact. If you have information, contact Honolulu CrimeStoppers at (808) 955-8300 or the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center at (808) 842-2600.

Sources:
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/06/05/search-widens-missing-woman-last-seen-honolulu-airport/
https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4206878/coast-guard-partners-search-for-woman-in-water-off-hawaii/
https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4209054/coast-guard-suspends-search-for-woman-in-water-off-hawaii/
https://www.honolulupd.org/crimestoppers-missing-person-khilye-hamadani/
https://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/dlnr-news-release-dramatic-video-shows-dangers-of-play-at-china-walls-and-spitting-caves-june-3-2025/

#KhilyeHamadani #MissingPerson #MissingInHawaii #Oahu #Honolulu #HonoluluAirport #ChinaWalls #SpittingCave #Portlock #TrueCrimePodcast #BeneathThePalms

In March 1977, George Helm and Kimo Mitchell disappeared in the waters near Molokini after traveling toward Kahoʻolawe during one of the defining struggles of the Hawaiian Renaissance.

George was a gifted falsetto singer from Molokaʻi whose music carried aloha ʻāina into hotel lounges, community gatherings, and a growing movement. Kimo was a Keʻanae waterman, football player, farmer, fisherman, and National Park Service worker known for his strength, loyalty, and deep connection to land and sea.

This episode traces the history of Kahoʻolawe from Native Hawaiian settlement and sacred use through ranching, erosion, military control, and decades of Navy bombing. It follows the 1976 and 1977 occupations, the rise of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, the final journey, the massive search, the disputed television footage, and the questions their families were left to carry.

The most grounded explanation remains that both men were lost at sea. But without bodies, final proof, or a place to mourn, uncertainty survived. What did not disappear was their legacy. The bombing eventually stopped, the island returned to Hawaiʻi, and their names became part of the history of Hawaiian resistance, restoration, and cultural renewal.

Listener discretion: This episode includes discussion of missing persons, ocean disappearance, military bombing, grief, and unresolved loss.

Sources
Kahoʻolawe History - https://kahoolawe.hawaii.gov/history.shtml
A Voyage to Health: Reclaiming the Island - https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/avoyagetohealth/exhibition-reclaiming-island.html
Kimo Mitchell - https://www.kaainamomona.org/post/kimo-mitchell
George Helm - https://www.kaainamomona.org/post/george-helm
40 Years After Men’s Disappearance at Sea, Their Vision for Kahoolawe Has Become a Reality - https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2017/03/40-years-after-mens-disappearance-at-sea-their-vision-for-kahoolawe-has-become-a-reality/
Hawaiian Soul: The Making of a Short Film About George Helm - https://kawaiola.news/cover/hawaiian-soul/
Hawaiian Soul - https://www.hawaiiansoulmovie.com/
Hakioawa Management Plan and Program Material - https://kahoolawe.hawaii.gov/downloads/HMPO_Program.pdf
Hoʻihoʻi Hou: A Tribute to George Helm & Kimo Mitchell - https://www.nativebookshawaii.org/products/ho%CA%BBiho%CA%BBi-hou-a-tribute-to-george-helm-kimo-mitchell
Newspapers.com - https://www.newspapers.com/

Archival newspapers consulted: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu Advertiser, Hawaiʻi Tribune-Herald, The Polynesian, The Hawaiian Gazette, and Daily Pacific Commercial Advertiser.

Music: “Broken Wings” by Yoza.

#GeorgeHelm #KimoMitchell #Kahoolawe #HawaiiHistory #HawaiianHistory