Hawaiian Marine arrested for death of relative amid search for soldier's missing wife

A Marine stationed in Hawaii remains in custody this week in connection with the death of a loved one, military officials told Military.com on Thursday, but no charges have been filed.

On Sept. 1, a service member's family member died at Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH). Earlier, in August, a service member was arrested in Hawaii in a separate case after his pregnant wife went missing. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating the family member's death, officials said, and the Marine has been in custody for nearly two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Marine Corps and law enforcement have remained tight-lipped about the details of the latest case, leaving out basic information such as the Marine's rank, connection to the person in need of assistance and the names of those involved.

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Military.com sent a list of detailed questions to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and NCIS on Thursday, but received few responses, as all agencies cited ongoing investigations. NCIS confirmed that no charges have been filed.

“The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is aware of an incident on Sept. 1 that resulted in the death of a service member,” 1st Lt. Isis Coty, a spokeswoman for the wing, told Military.com on Thursday. “The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is actively investigating the incident and the command is fully cooperating with that investigation.”

“A Marine is currently in custody in connection with the incident, but no charges have been filed to date,” Coty added.

When asked, Coty said he had no further information at this time. It was unclear if the detained Marine was from 1st MAW, but it is common for units responsible for the Marines involved in an incident to act as a point of contact for information.

The incident came just weeks after Army Private Commander Dewayne Arthur Johnson II was arrested after his 19-year-old wife Mischa Johnson disappeared from their home at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Johnson was charged with making false statements, obstruction of justice and distribution of child pornography, Military.com previously reported.

Mischa Johnson was six months pregnant at the time of her disappearance and has still not been found, KHON2, a local station in Hawaii, reported Thursday. The search for her has focused on a vacant lot near the Dole Plantation on Oahu, according to the news station.

“We'll just wait and see if we find anything, because there's no evidence of a body or anything like that,” Mika Paresa, a search party organizer, told the station. “But the fact that his car was allegedly seen in this area is the reason why we're focusing here.”

Related: Hawaiian soldier arrested after wife's disappearance faces charges of child pornography, obstruction of justice and making false statements

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