Hawaii officials made an announcement on Friday regarding the final identification of the last victim among the 100 individuals who lost their lives in the deadliest wildfire in the US in over a century, which ravaged Maui last year.
The last set of remains to be positively identified belonged to Lydia Coloma, a 70-year-old individual, according to information from the Maui Police Department’s forensic scientists, as conveyed by police spokesperson Alana Pico to CNN on Friday.
Months prior to the official identification, an investigator had indicated that the remains were significantly damaged, necessitating an extensive level of analysis for closure, as mentioned by Tony Earles, the lead crime scene investigator of the department, the previous year.
During ongoing forensic work, Maui Police officer Steven Landsiedel expressed, “She is a mother, a wife, a well-respected community member,” shedding light on Coloma’s personal background.
It was reported by the nonprofit newsroom Honolulu Civil Beat in September that eight members of Coloma’s family had also lost their lives in the August 2023 wildfires.
With Coloma’s positive identification, she has been removed from the list of missing persons maintained by Maui Police. Presently, three individuals remain classified as missing due to the wildfires: Paul Kasprzycki, 76; Robert Owens, 65; and Elmer Lee Stevens, 73, according to Maui County’s credible Lahaina fire missing list.
The wildfires, driven by powerful winds from Hurricane Dora, devastated entire neighborhoods and displaced hundreds of residents. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui’s western coast, suffered extensive destruction and near obliteration.
The death toll rose to at least 100 as crews spent days sifting through the debris of homes, businesses, and landmarks. The Maui wildfires mark the deadliest in the US in over a century, according to research from the National Fire Protection Association.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green, in a video update posted on social media last week, mentioned that over 5,400 individuals remained displaced in hotel rooms, five months after the wildfire. Efforts are in progress to secure long-term rentals to address the housing crisis.
Maui County officials emphasized that the police are releasing information on those with missing-person reports, urging people to contact them if they suspect anyone is still unaccounted for.
