Human remains found under Manoa home in 2010 identified

HONOLULU (KHON2) — In 2010, a quiet neighborhood was shaken when human remains were discovered buried under a home in Manoa.

On September 28, 2010, construction crews unearthed the remains while renovating a home on Oahu Avenue, according to the Honolulu Police Department (HPD). Further investigation revealed the victim had a son who lived in Washington. Following a DNA match with the victim’s son, the remains were identified as William Hans Holling Jr.

“It was determined that the skull sustained a gunshot wound and that the remains had been placed under suspicious circumstances,” stated HPD Criminal Investigation Division Detective Ryan Kaio, “HPD initiated a murder and a second-degree investigation.”

Holling lived in Washington and had gone through a contentious divorce, per HPD. He was last seen by his family and friends in January 1985. Police said he was known to travel frequently to Australia via Honolulu.

At the time, police had no leads even after a composite was created using genetic markers of the skull. The remains were tentatively identified in 2023 after the remains were sent to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico for additional DNA testing.

A Manoa resident who still lives in the same house across the street from where the remains were first discovered recalls what he felt that day in September nearly 14 years ago.

“I couldn’t believe it was across my house,” said Norman Quon.

Quon added he could finally feel some peace after the remains were identified.

“When you have a body like that and you don’t know who it is and you’re trying to figure out… you miss that closure,” Quon stated.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at (808) 955-8300. The public may now send anonymous web tips here or via the P3 Tips App.