Family of Edmonton woman who died in Hawaii last year pushing for more answers
CBC
The family of an Edmonton woman who died in Honolulu last year is pushing for Hawaiian authorities to re-open the case.
On Feb. 11, 2025, Elizabeth Nolin, 72, was found naked in a garbage chute receptacle at the condo building where she and her fiancé were staying while on vacation. The Honolulu Police Department investigated Nolin’s death and deemed it a suicide
But more than a year later, her family filed a complaint with the police department, citing concerns that its conclusion was made too quickly.
“It definitely came across in the record that this was a documentation exercise and not an actual investigation,” Geneva Claesson, one of Nolin’s children, told CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM.
According to the police report, the day before Nolin died, she had spent the afternoon golfing with her fiancé, returning to their condo, in Honolulu’s Waikiki neighbourhood, at 7:00 p.m. Nolin’s fiancé told investigators that he took a short nap and couldn’t find Nolin when he woke up at 8:00 p.m.
He tried contacting Nolin several times and searched for her, before phoning police at 11:20 p.m., the police report said. He phoned police a second time when Nolin still hadn’t returned by 2 a.m. the next day.
Police arrived at their condo, where responding officers found Nolin in the trash receptacle.
The ensuing investigation found she voluntarily walked naked and put herself feet-first into the 10-storey garbage chute.
Investigators interviewed the woman’s family and friends. According to the police report, her fiancé said Nolin had been sad after receiving a diagnosis that breast cancer had spread to her back.
Nolin’s fiancé also told investigators that, in the months before she died, Nolin had a bucket list she wanted to accomplish, she started throwing personal items like shoes and clothing down the chute, and seemed to be putting her affairs in order, the police report said.
According to the autopsy report, Nolin’s death was a result of multiple blunt force injuries sustained in a fall. The examiner deemed the manner of death was suicide.
In a statement to CBC News, the Honolulu Police Department said the manner of death was determined after a comprehensive investigation, that included an examination of the scene, physical evidence and documentation.
“Based on the totality of the evidence and forensic findings, the investigation was completed and presented to the Office of the Medical Examiner for final review,” the statement said.
Claesson said the idea her mother took her own life was “jarring” for her and her siblings.
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This First Person column is the experience of Mehdi M. Kashani, who lives in Toronto. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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