Steve Renard Makuakane-Jarrell, 47, a National Park Service law enforcement ranger, was shot and killed on December 12, 1999, at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in North Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. A visitor found his body in brush near the shoreline after police were called late that morning. His service weapon was reported missing.

Investigators say the confrontation began when Makuakane-Jarrell responded to a woman’s complaint about a transient man and three aggressive dogs. Prosecutors alleged the suspect, Eugene Frederick Boyce III, wrested control of the ranger’s handgun, shot him at close range, then dragged the body into bushes, buried the gun under a rock, and hid the ranger’s radio and pepper spray. Boyce was captured December 14, 1999, after a brief chase in the Puuanahulu area and was later indicted by a federal grand jury for first-degree murder.

Court proceedings were repeatedly delayed by questions about Boyce’s mental condition; he was diagnosed with paranoia and schizophrenia and found incompetent several times before being tried. In 2006 a jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity, and a federal judge ordered him committed to a secure medical facility as dangerous. If anyone knew Ranger Makuakane-Jarrell or saw activity at Kaloko-Honokohau around December 12, 1999, please share what information might help clarify the case.