The body discovered last week in a vacant lot in a Puna subdivision has been identified as 38-year-old Ashley Michelle Kuregian, who was reported missing on May 21st.
Authorities have also confirmed that the man who reported her missing—her boyfriend, 38-year-old Matthew Adrian Poole—died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on May 24th at a home on 15th Avenue in the Hawaiian Paradise Park.
This apparent suicide occurred just as the police arrived, triggering the deployment of the Special Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Team in the Puna subdivision.
Hawaiʻi island police are now treating this missing person case as a murder-suicide.
On Friday, police issued a detailed news release with the following summary:
"On Thursday afternoon, May 23, 2024, shortly before 4:00 p.m., officers from the Area I Criminal Investigation Division executed a search warrant at a residence on the 15-2000 block of 15th Avenue in Kea’au, Hawai’i. This was part of an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 38-year-old Ashley Michelle Kuregian. Kuregian had been reported missing by her boyfriend, Matthew Adrian Poole, on May 21, 2024, though she had not been seen for approximately a week.
When the police arrived, they announced their presence and intention to execute the search warrant. Shortly after, a loud “pop” was heard from inside the house, resembling a gunshot. Police then established a secure perimeter and checked nearby residences for safety. Out of caution, the Special Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Team were activated due to the possibility of an armed barricaded subject. When officers later entered the home, they found the body of a deceased male with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. A firearm was also found at the scene.
The deceased male was identified as 38-year-old Matthew Adrian Poole of Kea’au. An autopsy on May 24, 2024, confirmed that Poole died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. After securing the residence, police processed the scene in relation to both the deceased male and the missing person investigation. During their search, they found information that led them to look for Kuregian’s body in the Orchidland Estates Subdivision.
Later that evening, around 7:00 p.m. on May 23, 2024, investigators located a body in an advanced state of decomposition on a vacant undeveloped property in the 16-200 block of 36th Avenue in Kea’au. The scene was secured overnight, and the human remains were recovered at about 9:40 a.m. on Friday, May 24, 2024. An autopsy performed that afternoon could not immediately determine the cause and manner of death, pending further forensic examination.
A follow-up examination on May 31, 2024, determined that Kuregian died from a single gunshot wound to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide. The remains were confirmed to be those of Ashley Michelle Kuregian.
The Area I Criminal Investigation Division continues to investigate this case. Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Amy Omaya at (808) 961-2381, via email at [email protected], or through the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.
Those who wish to remain anonymous can call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer-run program dedicated to community safety, ensuring confidentiality by not recording calls or using Caller ID".
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