FBI Offers $20K Reward For Info About Missing Hawaii Kai Man
Jonathan Fraser was recently named in a lawsuit involving a deadly car crash that killed a local businessman’s son.
The FBI has offered a reward of up to $20,000 Tuesday for information leading to the whereabouts of Jonathan Fraser, a 23-year-old Honolulu resident who was last seen in July 2016 at his Hawaii Kai apartment.
According to a , Fraser was reported missing by family and friends on July 31, 2016 when he was 21. His 1994 Honda hatchback was found several days later, on Aug. 8, 2016, parked near the intersection of Summer Street and Kuliouou Road.
Members of Fraser鈥檚 family have told local news outlets, , that they suspected foul play was involved in his disappearance.
In an interview with Civil Beat, Special Agent Arnold Laanui stopped short of saying that the FBI was investigating Fraser’s case as a homicide. He noted that Fraser’s disappearance was first reported to HPD, which is still assisting in the investigation.
“The FBI does not have a missing person squad,” Laanui said. “Our special agents focus very intently on other crimes.”
Laanui refused to discuss specifics about the FBI’s ongoing investigation. He did say the agency has聽persons of interests in the case, but that they are not currently considered subjects or targets.
“Mr. Fraser has been missing for nearly two years, but the FBI believes that the time is right to initiate this campaign,” Laanui said. “We’re hoping that this reward will incentivize one or more people to come forward.”
Fraser was recently named in a lawsuit filed by Michael Miske, a local businessman and former club owner with a violent criminal past that includes an assault charge for allegedly attacking an NFL football player with a champagne bottle.
That charge was eventually dismissed when the victim refused to return to Hawaii for trial.
The lawsuit stems from the death of Miske鈥檚 son, Caleb-Jordan Miske-Lee, who was a close friend of Fraser. According to the lawsuit, which Miske filed on behalf of his son’s estate, Miske-Lee and Fraser were involved in a car accident with another vehicle in Kaneohe in November 2015.
Miske-Lee succumbed to his injuries March 12, 2016. The lawsuit blames Miske-Lee鈥檚 death on the driver of the other vehicle, on the company that owned the vehicle and on Fraser.
The lawsuit states that Fraser was driving the car with Miske-Lee in the passenger seat when it collided with the other vehicle. But official documents related to the accident, including the autopsy report, indicated that Miske-Lee was found pinned in the driver鈥檚 seat wearing a seat belt.
Michael Miske has since been embroiled in a fight with Hawaii Kai community members over tree lighting he gifted to the city to honor his son. Concerns have been raised about the process Miske and the city engaged in that resulted in the tree being lighted without any public input.
Anyone with information regarding Fraser鈥檚 disappearance should contact the FBI Honolulu Office at 808-566-4300.
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