Nearly 400 remain unaccounted for in Maui after deadly wildfires, FBI-curated list shows – a big decline from prior estimates
CNN
By Michelle Watson, CNN
(CNN) — Nearly 400 people are still listed as unaccounted for after this month’s devastating wildfires on Maui – a dramatic drop from the more than 1,000 previously believed missing but still a stark indicator of the disaster’s tragic impact.
The “validated list,” curated by the FBI, includes 388 names, a Thursday news release from Maui County officials said. It comes as at least 115 people have been confirmed dead in the deadliest wildfire disaster in the US in more than 100 years.
The updated list of the missing was released with hopes of confirming anyone who’s not truly still lost, officials said.
“We’re releasing this list of names today because we know that it will help with the investigation,” Police Chief John Pelletier said in the release. “We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are listed. This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.”
The FBI has worked with agencies “to unduplicate people that have been reported missing,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said earlier Thursday in a social media post. Some 800 to 1,200 people have been listed as unaccounted for since the fires, he said.
The grim search for those believed missing began shortly after wind-whipped flames tore through the island on August 8. Much of the western Maui community of Lahaina – once a lively economic and cultural hub – was left in ruins, with entire neighborhoods and businesses reduced to ash. Some residents were forced to jump into the ocean to survive as flames overtook the town.
Search crews and cadaver dogs have searched 100% of single-story homes in the disaster area, Maui County officials said Tuesday. They are now going through multistory homes and commercial properties.
And an FBI team that specializes in using cell phone data has launched in Maui to help identify potential fire victims, a law enforcement source told CNN. The Cellular Analysis Survey Team was on the island working with local law enforcement, the official said.
The team can get and analyze cell phone company subscriber records and cellular tower registration data, which could prove useful to the search efforts by geolocating the last known area where a victim’s cell phone was operating.
The team in the past has used information obtained through court orders to help with terrorism, kidnapping and criminal investigations.
“Cellular telephone analysis” is among the resources being provided by the bureau, Steven Merrill, special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Hawaii, said during news conference Tuesday without giving specifics.
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CNN’s Josh Campbell contributed to this report.
