In the late summer of 2003, a young man named Yorck Kenneth Woita vanished in Honolulu, Hawaii, leaving his family in a state of desperate uncertainty. At 28 years old, Yorck was a carpenter who was also studying business and German at Hawaii Pacific University. He was described by his mother as a respectful person who was close to his family. On August 28, 2003, he was last seen in the company of Gregory Awana, a former deputy sheriff who was working as an investigator for the city medical examiner. The two had a business relationship involving the cultivation of marijuana, and Yorck believed Awana owed him a significant amount of money from the profits. Sensing potential trouble, Yorck had asked his stepbrother and a friend to 'watch his back' during his meeting with Awana. They observed from a distance as Yorck and Awana entered Awana's home on Oahu Avenue between 5:00 and 5:15 p.m.
Concern grew as the evening progressed. At 5:35 p.m., in a phone call to his friends, Yorck alarmingly stated that Awana had a gun. In a later call around 6:45 p.m., he reported that he was okay and would meet them later, not sounding upset at the time. However, when his stepbrother called back between 7:30 and 7:45 p.m., Yorck, still with Awana, said he would meet them at their hotel room. Subsequent calls to Yorck's phone went unanswered. Later that night, at 9:05 p.m., the yellow Nissan Xterra he had been driving, which belonged to his stepbrother, was discovered engulfed in flames on Mokulama Street in Waimanalo. This discovery, coupled with the fact that it was uncharacteristic for Yorck to be out of touch with his family, immediately suggested that something was terribly wrong.
The investigation quickly focused on Gregory Awana. Two days after Yorck's disappearance, police surveillance on Awana's home witnessed him and his wife loading garbage bags into a truck and taking them to a dump. Upon inspection, investigators found marijuana plants, a bloodstained cement block, blood-soaked towels, and a spent. 22-caliber cartridge casing inside the bags. Awana was arrested, and during the investigation, he admitted to killing Yorck, though he claimed it was in self-defense. According to Awana, an argument escalated, and during a struggle over Awana's gun, it discharged three times, killing Yorck. He then panicked, burned the vehicle, and disposed of Yorck's body and the gun in Kaneohe Bay. Despite his claims of self-defense, a jury convicted Gregory Awana of second-degree murder in February 2005, and he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. The case of Yorck Woita's disappearance is a tragic story that began with a financial dispute and ended in murder. Though a conviction was secured, the full measure of closure for his loved ones remains elusive, as his body has never been recovered.
Last Seen: Aug 29, 2003
