60 years after her death, 2-year-old Murder Victim Mary Sue Fink Has Been Positively Identified
A decades-old murder case involving the discovery of skeletal remains in Waikiki has reached a significant breakthrough with the identification of the victim more than 60 years after her death.
The remains, initially found on June 29, 2014, were discovered wrapped in old newspaper and stored in a 7-10 gallon steel can in a closet of an apartment being cleaned. The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) and the Department of the Medical Examiner responded to the scene, but it wasn’t until a detailed investigation that the grim reality of the situation began to unfold.
The remains were first classified as a miscellaneous public case, but further examination by the Medical Examiner revealed that the bones were wrapped in newspaper dating back to the 1960s. As investigators delved deeper into the case, they learned that the child may have had three siblings, who were in their 50s at the time.
Family members recalled that the victim, a girl around 2 or 3 years old, had been given to an “Aunty” years earlier and had been missing since. After reviewing family documents, authorities tentatively identified the child as Mary Sue Fink, born April 29, 1959.
A key development came in 2019 when one of Fink’s siblings provided a DNA sample. After a few years of testing, including DNA analysis by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), the remains were sent for comparison to a lab specializing in DNA processing for cold cases.
By 2024, the DNA comparison confirmed the remains were indeed those of Mary Sue Fink.
The cause of death was found to be blunt force trauma, with fractures indicating the fatal injuries occurred shortly before her death. Further investigation also revealed signs of past abuse, with earlier injuries in various stages of healing.
HPD has reclassified the case to second-degree murder, though no arrests have been made.
Homicide detectives now believe Fink was murdered sometime between 1961 and 1963, when she was just a child. Authorities continue to seek any information about her death and ask anyone with relevant details to contact HPD or Crimestoppers.
The case remains open, and detectives are hoping that this new identification will help bring them closer to solving the mystery of Mary Sue Fink’s tragic death.
For anyone with information, authorities encourage you to call 911 or Crimestoppers at (808) 955-8300.
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