Communities across the state were shocked to learn of the weekend discovery of the bodies of two women under a collapsed tree in Hilo.
The massive banyan tree fell over on July 12, but it wasn't until this weekend that fire rescue crews were called back to the scene. The tree is not on county land, but the incident has spurred inspections of other majestic trees, some of which are more than 100 years old.
The tree is in Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda’s neighborhood, and he drove by this weekend to stop and ask fire rescue crews why they were back on site.
Initial use of a heat-seeking drone turned up nothing.
"There was no information about any missing people until several days after the tree fell," Alameda told HPR. "The family had a feeling that, I guess, their loved one was there. And so they kept looking, and then there was some decay, which had an odor. And I think one thing led to the next, and then someone saw a body part, and that's how we found out. So it's super sad."
Alameda noted that this isn't the first banyan tree to fall and that the trees can be problematic because it is difficult to discern the location of the real trunk.
"Those vines become the branches, and those branches are big stumps. That's why it was so difficult to cut this tree because it was like 100 trees in one tree," he said. "Who owns the tree? You know, it's on state land, and part of it is also Kamehameha Schools, so we don't really know."
The two women have yet to be officially identified. Alameda said that's still under investigation.
"We're going to wait until the autopsy," Alameda said. "I think we're guessing that they were a couple and probably homeless. So we're going to put all those pieces together soon, so that we could share with the public that information."
Alameda said he has started surveying banyan trees across Hawaiʻi Island. He said the trees can act as hiding places, so some people live in them.
"We got to take a hard look at these trees and the safety risks they pose to our residents, especially those who are homeless," he added.
The Conversation has reached out to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and Kamehameha Schools. A KS spokesperson said previously that the tree stood on a property adjacent to their land, and damaged one of the school’s buildings.
This story aired on The Conversation on July 21, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
