Body of missing Kapaa woman found downstream from Keahua Arboretum

Search crews found Jennifer Sperry’s body about 200 yards downstream from the second stream crossing near Keahua Arboretum, ending a multi-agency search for the 42-year-old Kapaʻa woman who was reported missing Friday afternoon.

The Kauaʻi Police Department said Sperry was last seen near the second crossing along Kuamoʻo Road in Wailua at about 4 p.m. Friday, April 10, while she was with two other people. Those individuals later reported her missing. Crews from the Kauaʻi Fire Department, the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, Kauaʻi Search and Rescue and the police department searched through the evening before stopping because darkness and unsafe conditions made the area too dangerous to continue.

Search operations resumed early Saturday, and responders located Sperry at about 7:30 a.m. Saturday, April 11. Police said difficult terrain and conditions in the area slowed the search, which unfolded in a part of Wailua known for stream crossings and fast-changing water conditions. Keahua Arboretum sits in the Wailua section of the Līhuʻe-Kōloa Forest Reserve, an area tied to watershed protection, and the second crossing has been described as a popular place for residents to hang out, fish and swim, about a half mile from the main arboretum park.

Authorities said next of kin have been notified and an autopsy is pending to determine the exact cause of death. Police said foul play is not suspected. The department also thanked its partner agencies for the coordinated search and recovery effort.

The case comes as Kauaʻi faced severe weather and flood concerns, conditions that can turn stream crossings and low-lying trails dangerous in a matter of minutes. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has urged people to minimize pedestrian traffic beyond the Loop Road gate because of safety hazards tied to stream crossing repairs.

If someone goes missing near a stream, trail or flood-prone area, call 911 immediately, give responders the last known location, and keep other people out of the water and away from unstable banks or crossings. In wet weather, the safest move is to stay off flooded roads, swollen streams and areas where visibility drops quickly after dark.