HONOLULU — A man and woman remained in custody after they were arrested on suspicion of killing a woman in a Hawaii vacation rental home.
Family of the woman identified her as Telma Boinville, 51, who moved to Hawaii from Brazil in the 1990s.
Honolulu Police Deputy Chief John McCarthy told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the woman’s body was found Thursday afternoon downstairs in the house on Oahu’s North Shore, where she reportedly was a house cleaner for the vacation property.
Police found her 8-year-old daughter upstairs uninjured and tied up, he said.
Boinville’s husband, Kevin Emery, told CBS affiliate KGMB his wife was beaten with a baseball bat.
Emery said his wife “was the most beautiful spirit and most beautiful soul.”
Police said officers tracked the victim’s vehicle to a parking lot in the Honolulu suburb of Mililani and arrested a man and woman nearby.
Stephen Brown
KGMB
Stephen Brown, 23, and Hailey Kai Dandurand, 20, were arrested on suspicion of murder, according to police booking records. They could not be reached for comment while in custody in a police cellblock Friday and it was not clear if they had attorneys. Efforts to reach their relatives were unsuccessful.
CBS affiliate KGMB reports the two are being held on bail. Brown’s bail is set at $1 million while Dandurand’s bail is set at $500,000.
Boinville was passionate about health, Kevin Emery’s twin brother Brian Emery, told The Associated Press. She enjoyed surfing, running, yoga, martial arts and baking with healthy ingredients, he said.
She was a part-time teacher at Sunset Beach Elementary School, where she worked with English-language learners, Hawaii Department of Education spokeswoman Donalyn Dela Cruz said.
“This loss has deeply affected our school community,” Dela Cruz said. “Sunset Beach Elementary has additional counselors and behavioral health specialists available to help students, staff and their families.”
Earlier Friday, Boinville’s family and friends gathered at Ke Iki Beach for a celebration of life, KGMB reports.
“She did everything she could to be with people and she would … celebrate life,” said friend Virginia Hebert. “Telma, we love you.”
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