LIHU‘E — In an exclusive interview Friday, Kaua‘i Police Department Chief Darryl Perry said KPD investigators suspect foul play in the death of Lauren Kagawa as a result of signs she was grabbed by someone.
Kagawa was found dead the morning of Aug. 17 in the driveway of the Puhi duplex she shared with her mother and sister.
Funeral services for Kagawa, 27, are scheduled for Sunday in Waimea.
At the regular monthly meeting of the Kaua‘i Police Commission Friday morning at the Historic County Building, Perry chose his words carefully while discussing the case, still under investigation, that is technically considered an unattended death.
The “visible injuries” on Kagawa’s body appear to be consistent with being grabbed, Perry said.
“Now, indications are, physically, she was fine,” said Perry, indicating that the “superficial” injuries are not suspected to have been the cause of death.
An autopsy conducted last week did not reveal an official cause of death.
That leads investigators back to anticipated results of blood toxicology.
Charles Iona, a member of the Kaua‘i Police Commission who worked as a Maui police officer and with the Honolulu medical examiner’s office, said earlier that toxicology reports normally take six to eight weeks to complete.
Perry said Friday KPD investigators have asked for expedited toxicology results, expected within three weeks of the date of death. That would mean results could be available as early as the first full week of September.
Meanwhile, the investigation goes on, with KPD personnel continuing to interview and identify potential witnesses, create a timeline of events, and chase down leads offered by members of the public, he said.
Perry continued to stress the belief he expressed in an e-mail last week that evidence and the ongoing investigation make it “premature to state that a crime had taken place. Nevertheless, we are investigating with case with the utmost zeal and professionalism as we would any case where the nature of a death appears to be suspicious.”
“The deceased and family deserve no less,” he said.
“But we absolutely cannot jump to conclusions based on rumors and innuendoes without supportive evidence. Also, information received from the public is being acted upon immediately by our investigators,” Perry said.
