SHINE A LIGHT
Missing man’s torn pants match shark bite, raises questions: Expert
Eliki Yaco Junior, also known as Tua, is the first person to go missing from the area between Mana Island and Ono-i-Lau. This is according to Nukuni Village headman, Mesake Jale.
“If people went missing, they’d still be found. A person who disappears here is easily found. But when we heard the news of Tua’s disappearance, it was already in the evening,” Mr Jale said.
Tua was reported missing on Sunday, May 31, 2020, at around 4pm. He had gone to transport a couple from the Mana Island picnic spot back to Nukuni Village on Ono-i-Lau. The couple claimed Tua was bitten by a shark when they had stopped for a swim.
“It was on Sunday, around 4pm – 5 pm when the couple returned and told us that Tua was missing,” Mr Jale said. There were two search parties deployed on Sunday evening. The first team included Manoa Tikomaicina, the husband of one of the registered nurses on the island, Maria Tupou. The couple were the last to be seen with Tua before his disappearance. “The first search party went with Manoa, so that he could point out where he went missing.
“When they returned, the second group went to dive around the area. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find Tua, so we decided to go again – but this time to Mana island.”
The search party found Tua’s vest and flip flops on the beach.
Earlier that Sunday afternoon, the couple had brought back Tua’s T-shirt when they returned from Mana island. His underwear was found inside the boat.
“We found his three-quarter denim pants underwater when we went diving on Monday morning,” Mr Jale said.
“Neither the water nor the pants were tainted with blood. There were also claims by some villagers that the couple were intoxicated when they returned from the island.”
He said Mr Tikomaicina was alleged to mix homebrew illegally in the village.
The undergarment
Waisea Vatanirerega, found his cousin’s underwear inside their fibreglass boat, Senata.
“Manoa (Mr Tikomaicina) and I went to check the boat when I saw Tua’s underwear. Manoa said to throw it in the water, but I just left the underwear there and we left.”
Grandmother’s recollection
Sixty-four-year-old Titilia Loloa remembers vividly her last moments with her eldest grandchild as if it was just yesterday.
“On Saturday morning we were at home, with our day’s routine planned out, when Ms Tupou came to me to seek permission for Tua to take them to Mana Island in his fiberglass boat. The man, who was supposed to take them, was busy,” Ms Loloa said. “I declined at first, but then Ms Tupou was our family friend from Tuirara Settlement in Suva, I agreed. My grandson also told me that he would return home quickly so he could feed the pigs.
“Tua returned as he had told me. He said the couple had asked him that if it rained in the night, for him to go and fetch them from the island.
“I told him not to go at night, but early Sunday morning. People are prohibited from going to Mana on a
Sunday. We then fed the pigs later that Saturday afternoon.”
On Sunday morning, Tua went to feed the pigs, returned, bathed and wore the new clothes sent to him by his father from Suva. They had received them on Friday.
“I pleaded with him to take care, and that I would be praying for him. I told him to be back before 10am, because that’s the time that we usually pray,” Ms Loloa said.
“My heart aches when I recall my grandson’s last moment with me that morning.
“He stood at the door, called me from the table once, then twice – but I didn’t look at him. The third time he called I looked up. It hurts me to see the pain in his eyes because I had told him to return quickly. “He said, I’ll return quickly, and said ‘ moce pu’ (goodbye grandma). Then I heard him call his grandfather three times to say that he
will return to feed the pigs. I started to think strangely, I stood up, called him again, and told him to return quickly.”
Tua had missed their 10am prayer service that Sunday. As the clock ticked towards 11am, Ms Loloa heard his voice outside. Tua did not enter the house.
“From outside, he said ‘ Grandma, please, Tupou is still on the island, I just came with Manoa to take some water and their change, they said for us to have lunch there, and I will bring them back after that. Please forgive me, Grandma’.
“I replied okay, ‘hurry back, today is Sunday, I will just pray’. That was our last encounter.”
Ms Loloa had become restless when Tua did not return after lunch.
“I looked around the village, went up to the doctor, we chatted, and then I slept, my thoughts were with my grandson. After a while, I woke up, and I asked the doctor what the time was, he replied it was after 4pm. I told him that I was worried about my grandson and that I would head home and wait for him. “When I came down to the village, all houses were locked. I didn’t see anyone. After 4:30pm, one of my nieces approached me; I could see the pain in her eyes. She said ‘Aunty, everybody is at the beach, except for you’, I asked why? She said ‘Your grandson is missing’.” Minutes later Ms Tupou approached Ms Loloa to inform her of Tua’s disappearance.
“When [Tupou] spoke, I could smell liquor. I just thank God for allowing me to be humble, because I could have murdered her as soon as she entered.
“Tupou called me three times until I responded. She asked if I was mad at Tua, and I replied no. “Tupou told us they had left the island, and Tua had told them that he was hot, and he wanted to swim. She said Tua stopped the boat, and she and Tua jumped into the water. She said she was holding on to the side of the boat, but Tua started drifting away. According to Tupou, Tua didn’t call for help.”
Ms Loloa said: “I needed his clothes to see if there were any bloodstains on them.
“I went to the village headman’s wife, and she was also furious that Tupou refused to give Tua’s tshirt. “On Monday around 12pm, I sent a kid to fetch Tua’s vest from Tupou. She found that Tupou had already washed the t-shirt. Tupou then gave the t-shirt.”
Ms Loloa claims the two Police officers on the island did not fulfil their duties.
“The two officers were in Matokana Village and I wanted them to come and investigate. But, I was told that one of the officers was already with the village headman. “However, they didn’t conduct the necessary search that I knew was required, like checking the boat, going to the island. So I called the Police in Suva and lodged a report of the incident.”
Ms Loloa has been overwhelmed with thoughts of helplessness and despair whenever she thinks of Tua.
Information gathered from villagers, who spoke to the couple, indicated that Tua was acting differently when they were on Mana
Island, and on their way back to the village, he took them towards the reef for a swim.
The couple had also described the look on Tua’s face when he was in the water before he disappeared. A member of the search party said a shark was seen in the area when they went out to search for Tua.
More claims
Nukuni villager, Jone Tikoduadua said Mr Tikomaicina had told him twice, in earlier conversations, that he followed the First Nation Spiritual Revival Movement, also called the Lotu Vanua.
“He said they didn’t worship God, only deities. He doesn’t attend any church service on Sundays.
“He told me to check the Lotu Vanua page on Facebook and to read the contents of the page. He said they also didn’t believe in the Bible.”
There are only three denominations in the village of 129 households – Seventh Day Adventist Church, Methodist Church and Christian Mission Fellowship (CMF).
The couple are now in Suva. They have declined a request for comment. They said they gave their statements to Police.
Following Tua’s disappearance, allegations were rife on social media directed towards the Lotu Vanua Movement.
“My family has accepted what has happened to Tua, but it took time for us to digest how he had mysteriously gone missing”
MISSING - ELIKI YACO JR.