On March 26, 1986, 25-year-old female victim Louise Medeiros, who was of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander descent according to some reports, disappeared after returning to Oahu from a trip to Kauai. She had traveled to attend her mother's funeral and was last seen at the Honolulu International Airport. Medeiros informed her family that she would take a bus home to Waipahu, but she never arrived. Her decomposing body was discovered on April 2, 1986, near Waikele Stream by road workers.
The 25-year-old female victim was found partially clothed, with her hands bound behind her back. Her lower body was unclothed, and signs of sexual assault and strangulation were evident, consistent with the pattern seen in a string of similar murders.
Louise Medeiros was the fourth known victim in a series of killings attributed to an unidentified serial killer later dubbed the 'Honolulu Strangler.' The murders occurred between 1985 and 1986 and involved five women, all of whom were found bound, sexually assaulted, and strangled. The victims, including the 25-year-old female victim Medeiros, were often last seen near bus stops or traveling alone at night. The similarities in the method of killing and victim profiles led authorities to believe the same perpetrator was responsible.
Despite the formation of a 27-person task force and assistance from the FBI, the case remained unsolved. A suspect named Howard Gay came under scrutiny after he voluntarily approached police claiming to have information about the location of one of the bodies. He later led investigators to a site near the discovery location of one of the victims. Although he was interrogated and even failed a polygraph test, there was insufficient evidence to charge him. No arrests were ever made, and the identity of the killer remains unknown.
The murder of 25-year-old female victim Louise Medeiros, along with the other victims, left a lasting impact on the community and prompted changes in public safety measures, including the installation of two-way radios on city buses. The case remains one of Hawaii's most haunting unsolved serial murder investigations.
