Police now looking for new leads in 1978 Kalapana cold case

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Valerie Ann Warshay was an avid hiker and was employed as a park ranger in California at the time of her death in 1978. | Pixabay

The Hawaii Police Department is reinvestigating a cold case that occurred more than 40 years ago on the Big Island.

Police are seeking new leads in the 1978 Valerie Ann Warshay murder.

“On April 23, 1978, Valerie Ann Warshay was discovered deceased at the Harry K. Brown Park in Kalapana. The manner of her death was ruled a homicide,” a media release from the Hawaii Police Department stated.

Hawaii police are asking anyone who might have any leads to contact Detective Derek Morimoto of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at 808-961-2380 or email him at Derek.Morimoto@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters may also call the police department’s non-emergency line at 808-935-3311.

Warshay was a park ranger and avid hiker, according to Big Island Now. She also made several acquaintances across the island. Warshay was known to have played a flute or recorder-style woodwind at social gatherings. She was 26 years old at the time of her death and was visiting the Big Island from California.