Bellevue man released from jail after woman found dead on Hawaii beach

ISLAND OF HAWAII -- A Bellevue man arrested for the murder of his wife was released from a Hawaii jail after an autopsy on a woman's body was inconclusive.

According to Hawai'i Island Police, the body was found Feb. 19 near ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay in the district of South Kohala. The body was found in the area where 41-year-old Smriti Saxena of Bellevue was reported missing the night before.

Her husband was arrested on a murder charge but released a few days later. Police said they released the man after talking with prosecutors. The medical examiner said further testing was needed to determine the cause of death.

According to Fox News, Smriti Saxena, a program manager for Microsoft, was last seen at the Lava Lava Beach Club in Waikoloa on Feb. 18 around 10:30 p.m.

Her husband, a Google project manager now accused of her murder, told a Hawaii newspaper that he had left his wife to go back to their hotel room and grab her asthma inhaler. He said he returned 40-50 minutes later and she was missing.

The couple had been married for 17 years and have two children, a 13-year-old and an 8-year-old, both of whom were with the couple in Hawaii.

Neighbors told Q13 News the family lived in their Bellevue home for close to a decade. Joan O’Connor said Smriti was like her daughter.

“I don’t know what happened. He was great, he was lovely and I don’t understand it,” said O’Connor. “It’s emotional for me because they were a beautiful couple.”