Body recovered near Rainbow Falls identified as missing Chicago nurse

Woman's body recovered near Hilo's Rainbow Falls
Published: Feb. 24, 2018 at 8:53 PM HST|Updated: Mar. 1, 2018 at 2:52 PM HST
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HILO, HAWAII (HawaiiNewsNow) - Police have confirmed the body found in the Wailuku River on Sunday is that of a traveling nurse from Chicago who's been missing since late January.

On January 26, 28-year-old Kelly Mrowinski was swept away by raging waters in the river, while a man she was with was able to swim to shore.

Searches turned up no sign of her body until Sunday, when the body of an unidentified woman was recovered near Rainbow Falls.

The body was spotted on Feb. 24, and fire crews spent much of the day trying to recover the body with no success.

With night falling, they secured the body with a rope and returned the next day to recover it.

"The degree of difficulty was extreme," Matthias Kusch, Batt. Chief of the Hawaii County Fire Department said. "It was kind of in a negative overhang were she was – kind of in a cave, almost of an eddy."

An autopsy confirmed that Mrowinski's cause of death was drowning.

The Wailuku River has recently been a dangerous spot for hikers and swimmers.

This story will be updated.

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