2 sets of human remains found in ashes of Diamond Head property

Published: Jan. 22, 2020 at 12:08 PM HST
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HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Police cadaver dogs have led investigators to two sets of human remains in the ashes of a Diamond Head home where the suspect in Sunday’s violent rampage and his landlord are believed to have died.

The remains appear to be those of a male and a female, and it could take weeks to positively identify them.

Authorities are presuming that the suspect, 69-year-old Jerry Hanel, died in the flames.

He is accused of stabbing a woman and fatally shooting two police officers before apparently setting a fire that burned five homes to the ground.

Another woman ― Lois Cain ― has also been unaccounted for. She owned the home on Hibiscus Drive where the shooting occurred and was the suspect’s landlord.

A second woman who was previously unaccounted for has been found safe, police said.

Meanwhile, a woman who was stabbed during Sunday’s violent rampage was released from the Queen’s Medical Center on Monday. She was initially listed in serious condition.

[Read more: ‘Like a war zone’: Investigators begin piecing together moments that led up to Diamond Head shooting, fire]

[Read more: Growing memorial honors officers killed in Diamond Head shooting]

Police are still piecing together the sequence of events leading up to the violent rampage that left the Honolulu police officers dead and homes in the affluent community burnt to the ground.

Residents of the quiet Diamond Head area neighborhood where the crimes happened struggled Monday to come to terms with their new normal.

Access to Hibiscus Drive was still restricted Tuesday as investigators canvassed the community amid the arduous task of piecing together what led up to the shooting Sunday ― and what happened in the minutes afterward.

The American Red Cross of Hawaii is helping families displaced in the flames.

Drone video of the community Monday showed properties where homes used to be all but leveled. In addition to the homes destroyed in the blaze, several more sustained damage.

Neighbors and others have said that Hanel was mentally ill and frequently lashed out.

HNN has confirmed that last Wednesday, Cain filed a complaint against the suspect, saying he did not have a rental agreement and had failed to vacate the property “despite repeated demands.”

On Thursday, he got an eviction notice, but refused to sign it.

This story will be updated.

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