HONOLULU—A Hawaiian woman has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of her 11-year-old adoptive daughter, following a grand jury indictment. Sina Pili, 39, was taken into custody on Friday after being charged with manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a minor, and persistent nonsupport.
The charges stem from the December 2023 death of her adoptive daughter, Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You. Authorities first responded to a call on Dec. 22, 2023, at a home in Laie, where they found Azaeliyah unresponsive with visible bruises on various parts of her body, including her face. She was transported to Kahuku Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
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The Honolulu medical examiner’s office initially deferred determining the cause of death, pending further tests and a review of medical records. However, Honolulu Police Department Lt. Deena Thoemmes provided an update this week, stating that further investigation uncovered disturbing details.
“Further investigation revealed that on the day that Azaeliyah died, Sina Pili slapped and punched Azaeliyah multiple times for approximately 30 minutes,” Thoemmes said. A forensic pathologist later ruled Azaeliyah’s death a homicide, citing multiple injuries consistent with child abuse. According to police, she suffered extensive bruising, multiple abrasions, rib fractures, and wounds on her nose that appeared to be bite marks.
Additionally, one of her lungs was darkened, a sign of pneumonia. “Days before her death, Azaeliyah had told her adoptive parents that she was sick. The autopsy revealed that she tested positive for COVID, influenza A and that she had pneumonia,” Thoemmes added.
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Following Azaeliyah’s death, Child Protective Services removed the family’s four other adoptive children—ages 12, 9, 8, and 7—from the home and placed them into protective custody. Pili, an adjunct instructor at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, was immediately terminated from her position after the university learned of her arrest.
She remains in Honolulu Police Department custody and is scheduled for arraignment on March 13. Manslaughter in Hawaii is classified as a felony and carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison without the possibility of suspension or probation.
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