KHON2

Mom of murdered Hawaii woman speaks as officials search for body

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Arkansas officials are searching for evidence and the body of a missing former Big Island resident.

Fayetteville Police said 28-year-old Allison Maria Castro, who had been missing since last week Monday, has been murdered.

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Police believe she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Kacey Jennings, who was also a former Big Island resident.

Nexstar station, KNWA, was at Beaver Lake Wednesday afternoon as Benton County officials searched the lake for evidence.

Different branches of law enforcement in Arkansas have teamed up as they try to find the body of 28-year-old Allison Castro at a place called Beaver Lake.

Police officials are keeping Castro’s mom, Michelle Tomas, updated during the search. Tomas told KHON2 that when they find her body, she will travel back to Arkansas and bring her daughter home.

“However long it takes, I will be there for her. I will pick her up and bring her back to Kona,” said Tomas.

“There are several locations they are going to be checking out. We know that the Beaver Lake area is very vast, so they do have a lot of yardage to cover,” said Sgt. Tony Murphy of the Fayetteville Police Department.

It’s an uneasy feeling for Allison’s family but they are hopeful that she’s found so they can bring her back home to the Big Island.

“There’s so much anxiety, waiting for a phone call to see if they found her, just holding my breath, it’s frustrating,” said Michelle Tomas, Allison’s mother.

Tomas went to Arkansas last week to talk to detectives when her daughter was reported missing. She said Allison had been living with her ex-boyfriend Kacey Jennings.

“I thought she would call me. I just thought she was just hiding from him, maybe he snapped. I don’t know and that she would call me but she never called,” said Tomas of when she found out Allison was missing.

Jennings has been arrested for capital murder and abuse of a corpse. He has not been charged. Tomas said her daughter had known Jennings because they both went to Kealakehe High School. But they didn’t start dating until after they graduated. Tomas said her daughter never gave an indication that she was in trouble.

“If she was in a bad place she would just call me at that moment, whatever was happening, and just say call me or text me and say mom I need to talk,” said Tomas.

Right now, Tomas said the most important thing for the family is to bring Allison back home.

The search was unsuccessful but authorities plan to be back out there again on Thursday.

Castro’s family has set up a fundraiser to help with the expenses on GoFundMe.

Officials are expected to give an update on the search for Castro Wednesday afternoon.

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“She’s going to be missed,” said Tomas, “I want good to come out of this. I want people to just feel aloha when they say her name or when they hear her name. I don’t want her to be forgotten.”