Arrested: Police Claim Isabella Was Killed a Month Before Reported Missing
Isabella “Ariel” Kalua was reported missing in Hawaii on September 13 by her adoptive parents, Isaac and Lehua Kalua. The parents were arrested and charged on Wednesday for suspicion of second-degree murder as part of an FBI and Honolulu police investigation into the child’s disappearance.
The couple originally told police the last time they saw Ariel was September 12 before she allegedly disappeared the following day. In the report the parents stated she left the house in the middle of the night, and that was false from a review of multiple surveillance videos in the area.
Authorities revealed Wednesday their investigation leads them to believe Ariel was murdered sometime in mid-August. Police have not revealed what evidence they recovered.
“We believe that Ariel was killed by her adoptive parents in August of 2021, and then approximately four weeks later is when we received the missing person report, in September,” HPD’s Maj. Ben Moszkowicz said.
Interim Chief Rade Vanic added that investigators believe the evidence points to the adoptive parents “and no one else.”
Ariel’s cause of death has not been determined, and her remains have not been found, according to police. Authorities searched the couple’s property and Isaac Kalua’s workplace at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
The couple does not yet have attorneys, and they’re being held without bail. Police are seeking the public’s help for information related to the case.
