Thirteen-year-old Dawn “Dede” Bustamante and her close friend Cherie Verdugo were walking home in Kailua on March 14, 1975 when a man in a white car stopped beside them. Minutes later, both girls were abducted at gunpoint and taken to the dark, isolated stretch of Kionaole Road behind the Pali Golf Course. Only one of them survived. This episode examines the abduction, the assault, the escape, the one eyewitness account, the 1975 investigation, the composite sketch that flooded Oahu, the early focus on Marine Corps serviceman Delmar J. Edmonds Jr., and the 2001–2002 reopening of the case that ultimately ended in DNA exclusion and dismissal of charges. Forty-nine years later, Dawn’s murder is still unsolved. Her story—and Cherie’s survival—continue to define one of Hawaii’s most haunting cases.

All facts in this episode are drawn from Honolulu Police Department case records; courtroom filings from the 2001–2002 Edmonds proceedings; and contemporary reporting by the Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and the Associated Press (1975–2006). No dramatization, no invented details.

Mahalo to Yoza for the use of her song “Obsession.”

Darkness may linger beneath the palms, but so does hope.

#HawaiiTrueCrime #HawaiiColdCase #KailuaHawaii #DawnBustamante #CherieVerdugo #Kailua1975 #UnsolvedHawaii #HawaiiMurderCase #TrueCrimePodcast #BeneathThePalms #HawaiiHistory #ColdCaseFiles #UnsolvedMysteries #HawaiiNews #HawaiiPodcast #CrimeInParadise #HawaiiColdCases #LostInHawaii #HawaiiInvestigation #TrueCrimeCommunity

In May 1997, 27-year-old Sean Burgado finished a shift in Hilo…and vanished. Days later, he was found shot to death inside his home on Malaai Road in upper Waiākea Uka. No arrests. No suspects. No clear motive. Almost thirty years later, his case is still unsolved — and still quietly haunting the island.

Read the official case summary:

Hawai‘i Police Dept, “Sean Burgado Murder (F-27882)” → https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/sean-burgado-murder-f-27882/ Hawaii Police Department

And the renewed appeal for tips (Feb 6 2017) → https://www.hawaiipolice.com/02-06-17-police-seek-information-about-1997-murder Hawaii Police

This episode walks through the real story: the timeline, the investigation, the silence that followed, and the people who never stopped asking what really happened to Sean.

Follow additional coverage:
Hawai‘i News Now, “2 decades later, Big Island police follow new leads…” → https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/02/13/big-island-police-renew-request-information-homicide/ https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com

If you know anything about this case, contact Hawai‘i Police: Case F-27882: Or call CrimeStoppers: 808-961-8300

Follow Beneath the Palms for more stories of Hawai‘i’s missing and murdered — the ones too many people forget.

#SeanBurgado #Hilo #HawaiiCrime #HawaiiColdCase #UnsolvedHomicide #WaiakeaUka #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms #ColdCaseHawaii #HiloNews #HawaiiPodcast #TrueCrimePodcast #HawaiiHistory #MissingAndMurdered #UnsolvedMysteries

This special trailer introduces Under the Pines, a new true-crime series from Aku Bone Media.
Rooted in the quiet mill towns of North-Central Massachusetts, the show follows unsolved cases, forgotten disappearances, and the echoes that linger long after headlines fade.

For listeners of Beneath the Palms in Hawaiʻi, this episode bridges the distance—inviting anyone with ties to Fitchburg, Leominster, Gardner, or beyond to revisit the stories that shaped an entire region.

Two places. One heartbeat of storytelling.
Where the past doesn’t rest… it waits.

Listen to the full series here:
Under the Pines Podcast

#UnderThePines #TrueCrimePodcast #MassachusettsTrueCrime #FitchburgMA #LeominsterMA #GardnerMA #ColdCaseFiles #UnsolvedMysteries #AkuBoneMedia #BeneathThePalms #NewEnglandTrueCrime #PodcastTrailer

In January 2001, nineteen-year-old Kallen Agliam vanished after leaving Hilo. Hours later, his body was found off Old Hilo Coast Processing Plant Road near Pepeʻekeo—a single gunshot wound to the chest. No witnesses. No weapon. No arrests.

Two decades later, his case remains one of East Hawaii’s longest-running unsolved murders. His family still waits for answers. His name still sits on the Hawaii Police Department’s unsolved homicide list—a reminder that justice can fade if no one keeps it alive.

If stories like Kallen’s matter to you—if you believe quiet cases still deserve to be heard—follow Beneath the Palms on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen. On Instagram and YouTube, we share the faces, the places, and the echoes behind every case.

Sources:Hawaii Police Department – Unsolved Homicides Archive

Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Obituary, Feb. 13, 2001)

Hawaii Police Department Press Releases (2001, 2020)

Music: “Obsession” by Yoza – find her on Instagram @yozamusic or at www.yozamusic.com

If you have information about this case:

Call the Hawaii Police Department at (808) 961-2383 or Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.

#BeneathThePalms #TrueCrimeHawaii #UnsolvedHomicide #KallenAgliam #Hilo #Pepeekeo #HawaiiCrime #ColdCase #PodcastHawaii

Twenty-one years after gunfire shattered the calm at Honolulu’s Pali Golf Course, another body has surfaced.
Jonnaven Monalim—once a government witness who testified in the federal racketeering case United States v. Motta et al.—was found shot to death in Waipio in November 2025.

Police say he was last seen leaving his home in Kapolei.
Days later, his body was discovered near the Waipio Soccer Complex, with blood and spent casings found miles away in Pearl City Industrial Park.
The Honolulu Police Department has classified his death as a homicide. No suspects. No motive.

In this addendum episode, we return to the case that once exposed Oahu’s violent gambling underworld—and the man who helped prosecutors link it together.
Because sometimes, even decades later, the story isn’t finished.

Sources:

• Hawaii News Now — “Former government witness who testified about Oahu gang shootout found dead” (Nov 8 2025)

• Honolulu Police Department — official homicide press release (Nov 2025)

• United States v. Ethan Motta et al., Criminal No. 06-00080 SOM, District of Hawai‘i:

  • Docket No. 1207 (Oct 22 2009)

  • Docket No. 1430 (Oct 1 2012)

• GovInfo.gov — archived federal case materials

If you have information regarding the death of Jonnaven Monalim, contact the Honolulu Police Department’s Homicide Division or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.

Darkness may linger beneath the palms, but so does hope.

#BeneathThePalms #PaliGolfCourseShootings #JonnavenMonalim #HawaiiCrime #HawaiiTrueCrime #OrganizedCrime #HonoluluPoliceDepartment #HawaiiNewsNow #OahuCrimeStories #TrueCrimePodcast #HawaiiJustice #UnfinishedStories #HomicideInvestigation #FederalRICO #CrimeStoppersHawaii #HawaiiHistory #DarknessMayLingerButSoDoesHope #JonnavenMonalim

In 2003, 47-year-old Bradley Bussewitz vanished along Hawaii’s Saddle Road — the remote stretch of land between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Months later, pig hunters found his remains deep in the brush. His wallet and ID were still there, but no one could say how he died.

Bradley wasn’t a tourist. He’d built a quiet life in Hilo after moving from Wisconsin — steady job, small circle of friends, close ties to family. When his regular phone calls home suddenly stopped, they knew something was wrong. What happened to him remains one of Hawaii Island’s most haunting unsolved cases.

Sources:Hawaii Police Department reports
Hawaii Tribune-Herald archivesPublic case records

Thanks:Mahalo to those who’ve helped keep Bradley’s story remembered.
A special mahalo to Yoza for her track “Obsession”—the song that carries us through these shadows. Find her on Instagram @yozamusic or at yozamusic.com.

Follow & Support:Follow Beneath the Palms on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon, and on Instagram & YouTube for more Hawaii true-crime stories.

Darkness may linger beneath the palms, but so does hope.

#BeneathThePalms #HawaiiTrueCrime #BradleyBussewitz #Hilo #SaddleRoad #MissingInHawaii #TrueCrimePodcast #HawaiiPodcast

In 1987, twenty-six-year-old Lynn Ebisuzaki left a friend’s home in Hilo and never made it back. Hours later, her car was found burned on a remote road, and her body was discovered nearby. Decades have passed, but the person responsible for her murder has never been found. This episode revisits her story, the town that still remembers, and the silence that continues to haunt Hawaii’s Big Island.

Sources:

• Hawaii Tribune-Herald archives (1987–1988 coverage)

• Honolulu Advertiser reports

• Hawaii County Police Department public cold case files

• Historical research on late-1980s Hilo investigations and community responses

Special Thanks:
A mahalo to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald and Honolulu Advertiser for their archived reporting, and to Hawaii County Police for preserving open case records that help keep Lynn’s story alive.
A special mahalo to Yoza for her song Obsession—the sound that carries us through these shadows. Find her on Instagram @yozamusic and at yozamusic.com.

If you have any information about the murder of Lynn Ebisuzaki, contact Hawaii County Police at (808) 935-3311 or CrimeStoppers at (808) 961-8300. Anonymous tips can be submitted at hawaiicrimestoppers.net.

#BeneathThePalms #TrueCrimeHawaii #LynnEbisuzaki #Hilo #HawaiiColdCase #UnsolvedMurder #CrimePodcast #HawaiiTrueCrime #MissingJustice #AkuBoneMedia #SoDoesHope

In 1973, 25-year-old Gayle Hook was found shot near the shoreline of South Kona. No weapon. No witnesses. And no answers.
Half a century later, her case remains one of Hawaii’s forgotten murders—a story swallowed by the tide and erased by time.

This episode explores her final night, the investigation that went nowhere, and how early-1970s Hawaii—on the edge of a tourism boom—was unprepared for the darkness that surfaced beneath the palms.

Sources:– Honolulu Advertiser archives (1973)– Hawaii Tribune-Herald archives (1973–1974)– Hawaii County Police historical case files– Local oral histories from South Kona residents

Mahalo: To the archivists and community members who keep these memories alive. And a special mahalo to Yoza, whose song Obsession carries this story. Follow her on Instagram @yozamusic or visit yozamusic.com.

If you have information about the unsolved murder of Gayle Hook, contact CrimeStoppers Honolulu or the Hawaii County Police Department.

#BeneathThePalms #TrueCrimeHawaii #UnsolvedMurders #HawaiiPodcast #GayleHook #SouthKona #Hilo #ColdCase #HawaiiHistory #TrueCrimeCommunity #PodcastSeries #YozaMusic #Obsession #DarknessMayLingerButSoDoesHope

In the 1970s, a former Marine and Hollywood restaurateur named Father Yod led more than a hundred followers from Los Angeles to the islands of Hawaii, chasing a vision of spiritual freedom. What began as The Source Family—a commune built on vegetarian living, music, and mysticism—soon became a story of control, devotion, and the search for transcendence.

This episode explores the rise of the Source Family, their move across the Pacific, and the mysterious final chapter that unfolded along the cliffs of Oahu. From celebrity fame on Sunset Boulevard to isolation in Lanikai, this is the story of belief, power, and the cost of surrender.

🎧 Featuring archival research, verified accounts, and the haunting echoes of those who lived it.
🎵 With music by Yoza — “Obsession.”

If you value the work behind Beneath the Palms, follow the show on Spotify, Apple, or Amazon, and consider joining us on Patreon for bonus episodes and behind-the-scenes content.

#BeneathThePalms #TrueCrime #Hawaii #CultStories #FatherYod #SourceFamily #Oahu #Lanikai #LosAngeles #Spirituality #MysteryPodcast #PodcastSeries #CrimePodcast #HawaiiHistory #BeneathThePalmsPodcast #AkuBoneMedia

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/

#BeneathThePalms #Hawaii #Puna #Pahoa #BigIsland #MacKenzie #ColdCase #UnsolvedMurder #TrueCrime #CrimeStoppers