The Misery Machine - The Case of Ariel Sellers

Starting point is 00:00:00 Wymanolo is a township within the city of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In the native Hawaiian language, Waimano means potable water, referring to all of the brackish ponds, streams, and springs that were used for irrigation. Notably, there are no hotels or resorts in the small rural town of less than 6,000 people. Within the tight-knit community, Ariel Sellers was born to Mother Melanie Joseph and Father Adam Sellers on November 6,000. 2014. Ariel was described as an extremely happy child with deep brown eyes, always dawning a big smile.

Starting point is 00:00:40 At the time of our story, she was six years old. Now, Melanie lost custody of Ariel and her older sister in 2018 when Child Protective Services stepped in as a result of her struggles with addiction, specifically to Crystal. Ariel and her older sister went to live with her grandmother after that.

Starting point is 00:00:57 But the long line of family trauma didn't end there. The girl's grandmother had only recently lost her son to cancer earlier that same year. To make matters worse, the grandmother's boyfriend was injured in a serious motorcycle accident a few months after the girls were placed in her custody. Now as a result, the girl's caseworker eventually deemed the home to be unfit for the children as it became too much added responsibility for their grandmother. Before long, the girls were relocated a second time to a home just down the street. Isaac and Lahua Kalua began fostering Ariel and her older sister in 2019. Due their ages, the names of Ariel's siblings remain confidential in court documents.

Starting point is 00:01:40 During the adoption process, Ariel's name was changed to Isabella Kalua. However, considering the horrible things that ultimately ended up happening to this young girl, who will refer to her only as Ariel moving forward. Another one of Ariel's siblings was born to her biological parents, Adam and Melanie, in 2020. Eventually, CPS intervened and they were subsequently handed over to the Kaluas, aka the new foster family. However, Ariel's birth parents didn't stop there, giving birth to yet another child later that February. Again, the process repeated itself, and in total, four children of Adam and Melanies were taken by the state and then handed over to the Kaluah family. However, this soon turned out to be a huge mistake.

Starting point is 00:02:25 On September 23, 2021, Ariel was reported missing by her adoptive mother, and an officer responded to the home at 6.25 a.m. that same morning. Lehuah told the officer that Ariel was last seen at 9 p.m. the night before. She continued by stating that she had put Ariel and her older sister to bed in their separate rooms. But when she went to check on Ariel in the middle of the night, she was gone. Next, LaHua woke up the older girl to ask her where Ariel was, but given the fact that she was a heavy sleeper, she had no idea. According to Lahuah statements to authorities, it was at this point when she, her husband Isaac, and Ariel's older sister began frantically searching the property. However, there was no sign of the six-year-olds. Lehua went on to say that Ariel would often sneak off into the garage where she would sometimes fall asleep.

Starting point is 00:03:19 According to Lahua, Ariel would frequently go outside and seem to be talking to someone, but no one was there. She said that lately, Ariel had been going outside of the house on almost a daily basis and would tell her that she was waiting for her mother to come and get her. Lehuah identified the girl's birth parents as Melanie Joseph and Adam Sellers, who were currently homeless and living in the area. LaHua stated that on the evening of September 12th, 2021, she, Ariel, and the older sister ate dinner together and the girls played for a bit afterward. They went riding in the Lexus to get out of the house without stopping anywhere while Isaac stayed at home with the other two children. Lahua told police that Ariel seemed fine with no issues or tantrums. Both Lahua and Ariel went to bed at around 9 p.m.

Starting point is 00:04:10 We checked on the girls 20 minutes later and Ariel was supposedly asleep in her bed. bed. Lahua woke up between 5.50 and 6 a.m. and discovered the side door of the home was unlocked in ajar. She also reported that the door sensor was activated at approximately 1.30 a.m. Isaac reported to the police that he last saw Ariel at 7 p.m. in the kitchen with Lahua and that he went to bed between the hours of 8 and 8.30 p.m. Isaac was woken up by his wife who was screaming that Ariel was missing. Isaac and Lahua then drove around the area before contacting the police to report her missing. Ariel was described as being three foot, three inches tall, and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black leggings, colorful socks, and Nike slides with pink souls.

Starting point is 00:04:54 When the child's adoptive father, Isaac, was questioned by police, told them that he had gone to the emergency room on August 21st, 2021, and had taken vacation time between August 21st and September 7th as a result. Both Isaac and Lahua denied any involvement in Ariel's disappearance. Her birth mother, Melanie, also denied having any knowledge of her. her whereabouts and told police that Adam was in residential treatment at that time. A search immediately followed the same day that Ariel was reported missing. Droves of volunteers, biological family members, and dozens of police officers combined their efforts looking for six-year-old Ariel. Search parties congregated at the Wymantalo Park District and served as a post for police, FBI, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and other state and federal agencies.

Starting point is 00:05:44 Food and water donations to the family and search party participants flooded in, bolstering support for bringing Ariel home. After over a week of tireless searching, it was announced that organized search parties would no longer be coordinated by police in the park. This was announced on September 19th during a candlelit vigil for Ariel. A few hundred people gathered predominantly school-aged children in their families. Ariel's biological father Adam held his youngest daughter on one knee during the vigil, surrounded by family and supporters from across the island.

Starting point is 00:06:21 A family spokesperson announced that although the family would continue to search for Ariel, coordinated efforts would no longer be meeting in the park. Those that would continue to search were encouraged to stay safe. Another family member urged the group to leave a light on for Ariel. Despite reporting her missing several. weeks prior. Neither Lahua or Isaac participated in any of the search parties. The Kalua's had been cooperative with law enforcement and a week after reporting her missing, they had totally stopped answering calls from the police. The Kalua's were nowhere to be found at the vigil held shortly

Starting point is 00:07:00 after Ariel went missing. A family friend of the couple claimed that they had been receiving death threats and were laying low. The Kalua's behavior raised a lot of questions in their small community. One resident who had participated in the search was suspicious of the details of Ariel's disappearance. For example, why would she be sleeping in sandals? Another biological cousin of Ariel also questioned why the Kalua has failed to secure the locks properly. Girl's biological mother also reported that Ariel was afraid of the dark and would never wander around alone at night. Video surveillance of the Kalua homes recovered the day after she was reported missing on September 13, 2021. That footage ultimately revealed that Ariel was last caught on camera on August 18th, 2021,

Starting point is 00:07:46 several weeks prior to her disappearance. On November 5th, police conducted an interview with Ariel's older sister, during which she told detectives that Lahua and Isaac had asked her to keep a secret, roughly two months prior to what actually happened to Ariel. According to the older sister, the night Ariel went missing. She had been locked in a dog cage in the bathroom. She said that Ariel Ariel had duct tape over her nose and mouth. Pour into the older sister, this was a common occurrence in the home. It became routine for Ariel to suffer this brand of punishment. She went on to explain that around 3.32 a.m., Lahua woke Isaac up and then woke her up

Starting point is 00:08:24 to check on Ariel in the bathroom, but she didn't actually wake up. She said that she knew Ariel was dead because she walked in to see that her sister was not breathing. Or in Ariel's older sister, Lehuahua then filled the bathtub with water in an attempt to revive the life. child, but she was unsuccessful. She was then instructed to carry Ariel's limp body over the Kalua's. When asked what they did with Ariel after that, the older sister said she did not know. She did, however, go on to say that Isaac had gone to the hospital pretending to be ill, which police then realized was his half-baked alibi. The older sister continued by stating, despite not having a dog at the time, Le Huahua bought the dog cage from the internet to put Ariel in it,

Starting point is 00:09:07 because Ariel would sneak around at night to forage for food. In addition, the older sister told police, Le Hua would often starve Ariel. When she was caught sneaking a snack for herself and the older sister, Loha would lock Ariel in the cage for the entire night. The older sister said this happened frequently in that it was always Isaac to cover her face with duct tape to prevent her from screaming. Ariel's older sister told police that she too had been subjected to similar treatment as well.

Starting point is 00:09:35 After interviewing the missing child's sister, authorities realized that no emergency calls have been made prior to September 12th, 2021 when Ariel was reported missing. Medical records subpoenaed for the time period between February of 2019 and September 13th of 2021 from every hospital in the area produced no records of any visits by Ariel to any local emergency rooms either. However, after looking into other various records, red flags continue to be raised. Multiple reports of CA involving the Kalua's had been made by teachers, medical professionals, Ariel's biological mother, and witnesses prior to her disappearance. According to an intake report made by child welfare services on July 3,

Starting point is 00:10:20 2019, a witness stated that they had seen the then five-year-old Ariel punched, dragged, and slapped by Lahua on several occasions during a four to six-week period. The witness also claimed that the girl had been starved by her foster parents. Lahua claimed that the redness and bruising on Ariel's face was caused by an allergic reaction, but the caseworker asserted in her report that it appeared that the child had been hit, evidenced by the bruising on Ariel's eye and chin. This report was referred to the Honolulu Police Department on July 22nd, but a formal investigation was deemed unnecessary and the case was deferred back to the state at same afternoon.

Starting point is 00:11:04 A month following that report, a doctor noticed bruising on Ariel's. Ariel's abdomen, hip, midback, and thighs that Lahua claimed was self-inflicted. Ariel did injure her collarbone that year as well, which LaHua attributed to the girl following off the monkey bars. She also sustained a leg fracture that Lahua had chalked up to a trampoline accident. Melanie initially visited her children at the Kalua home two or three times a week and quickly began noticing concerning behavior. A child related to the Kaluas would bully and become aggressive towards Ariel.

Starting point is 00:11:35 Isaac and Lahua did nothing as a result. One day, Melanie scolded the child for hurting her daughter, and after that incident, Melanie was no longer welcome at the Kalua residents, and her visits with Ariel took place at either her mother's house, the Child Welfare Services Office, or the Wymanalo Public Library. During a visit, Melanie noticed bruising on her arms back and head. She immediately notified a social worker who merely wrote this off as Ariel pinching herself. However, Melanie stated that her daughter would never do that. Ariel showed up to another visit with a swollen finger. Melanie asked her what happened. She slammed her foot onto the floor.

Starting point is 00:12:15 Melanie believes that Ariel was mimicking someone stomping on her hand. Social worker claimed it was just a bug bite. Ariel was always ravenous during their visits according to Melody and would make sure to bring extra snacks for her so that she frequently attempted to find out what life was like for Ariel and her sisters at the Kaluah home, but Ariel would say little to nothing, often under the influence of her older sister.

Starting point is 00:12:39 In November of 2019, medical records indicated a probable essay of both girls. Other records suggested that Ariel was diagnosed with disassociated identity disorder invariably caused by severe childhood trauma and abuse. In February of 2020, a teacher reported that Ariel was wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt under her uniform on a hot day and told her to take it off due to the extreme heat. After school, she ran back to her classroom from the parking lot, crying hysterically, begging for the t-shirt back. Despite these instances, CPS recommended to a family court judge to terminate biological parental rights and go forward with the Kaluas adoption of Ariel and the older sister in February of 2020. In June of 2021, the Kaluas withdrew Ariel from school to homeschooler, and we know how that goes in our story.

Starting point is 00:13:33 In June of 2020, Isaac filed for bankruptcy and listed Ariel and her two sisters as dependents. Both Isaac and Lahua had a past record of felony charges in serious financial debt. Lahua had a felony drug charge in 2001 that was ultimately dismissed after completing drug court in 2002. Isaac was convicted of four felony charges in 2000 that included terroristic threatening, assault, and attempt attempted assault to which he pled guilty and served five years probation. The removal of three of the remaining children from Isaac and Lahuas care was a result of the Honolulu Police Department and not child and welfare services. The Kaluas even attempted to get the other children back into the home before being arrested a few months later. To date, the Kaluas still maintained their parental rights over Ariel's three sisters who are currently in Hawaii's foster care system.

Starting point is 00:14:29 The current state of Ariel's surviving siblings is uncertain due to priestly. privacy matters involving Department of Public Health cases. A former family court appointed special master who investigated the case believes that one of the children was staying at Hale Kiepah for an extended period of time because the state could not secure a foster home. Holly Kippa serves as a juvenile justice, behavioral health, and child welfare center. After all this information came to light, the authorities theorized that Ariel was most likely murdered in mid-August of 2021, weeks prior to when she disappeared. Several months later, on November 10, 2021, Lahua was arrested at her home, while her husband Isaac was arrested at his

Starting point is 00:15:12 job at the Pearl Harbor Shipyard. Armed with a search warrant, the local police and FBI raided the Kalua residents as well as their personal vehicles. The FBI dug up the property surrounding the Kalua's home and utilized drones to locate the girl or her remains. 44-year-old Lahua Kalua and 52-year-old Isaac Kalua were then charged with murder, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and much more. They subsequently pled not guilty to all charges. Following the arrest, a makeshift memorial to Ariel was erected by community supporters and family members that lined the fence of the Kalua's property.

Starting point is 00:15:53 Stuffed animals, flowers, and photographs of Ariel dotted the front of the fence to commemorate the six-year-old girl. On September 9th, 2022, the candlelit vigil was held almost one year after Ariel's disappearance. Even after police suspended search party efforts, family members still refused to give up hope. Lays, stuffed animals, and other tokens had been added to Ariel's memorial in front of the Kaluah home. Another vigil was held in Ariel's honor on November 10th, 2022, a few days after what would have been the girl's seventh birthday. Ariel's biological aunt said, it's been a very emotional, overwhelming morning. This is like a bomb in our head and our faces.

Starting point is 00:16:33 We didn't have answers and then boom, all of a sudden they're arrested and they have the house being raided. We just want to put our baby girl to rest if that's what it is. We want justice for her and her sisters. We just want the girls to come home to family. In April of 2023, the Hawaii legislature passed Bill 295 that's aim is to provide major trauma-informed reform to child welfare. As a result, the Malamo Hanna Working Group was formed, which is made up of social workers, parents, former foster children, and others.

Starting point is 00:17:05 The bill instructs the group to report back to the legislature with suggestions. The group has drafted dozens of potential reforms and produced more than 70 preliminary recommendations that range from complex structural suggestions to alter family court dynamics to simple pleas from youth within the court system. A focal point of a suggestion emphasizes the importance of giving children a voice in more important. agency into where they are placed. The draft also calls for a halt to manipulative tactics used with at-risk youth. Another draft puts an emphasis on transparency and giving reasons to youth for decisions made and giving children the tools and resources to get help if further investigation is needed. One idea put forth is to shift the system from its current child welfare services approach to focus on familial support service, which has a particular emphasis on help and resources before

Starting point is 00:17:54 or CA happens, long before government agencies become involved. These efforts also highlight the gross understaffing of social workers, lack of foster parents, and feeble resources. There is a call for more support for caseworkers carrying excessive caseloads, as well as guardian ad litemes. The system overall is suffering from a lack of resources, mainly money, qualified workers, and therapists. These community meetings will be held across the state in June and July of 2024 in hopes to prevent more children from falling victim to the sort of neglect and abuse Ariel and her four siblings did.

Starting point is 00:18:29 On July 27, 2023, nearly two years following the initial search, Ariel Sellers, was officially pronounced dead by the probate court, which in turn opened the door for civil litigation. A lawsuit was put forth by three Honolulu law firms against the Kaluas, the State, the Department of Human Services, and Catholic Charities of Hawaii on behalf of the estate of Ariel and her four surviving siblings. An emergency petition seeking to advance a court hearing on the matter was submitted due to the looming two-year statute of limitation. The suit was officially filed in August of 2023. This case, like the criminal case, is still ongoing and it's seeking damages for the immense suffering, physical and emotional pain. in terror that Ariel and her siblings endured. Much of what happened to Ariel was under the supervision of child welfare services.

Starting point is 00:19:28 The complaint alleges misconduct and negligence on part of the state for their failure to keep these children safe. The organization placed them with Isaac and Lahua Kalua, despite their criminal history, history of substance use, and lack of parenting skills. It also cites the litany of reports of potential CA regarding Ariel and alleges that child welfare services took no action for said reports. Currently, the trial is still pending and was most recently continued from January of 2024 to October 28th of the same year.

Starting point is 00:20:02 Also in January, Isaac petitioned to be released on bail but was denied. He was deemed as a potential risk to obstruction of justice in the way of possibly injuring or attempting to injure or intimidate a prospective witness or juror. In particular, the prosecution's key witness, the older sister, with the time of this recording in July of 2024, is 14 years old. As far as Lahua goes, she now faces additional charges, including two counts of abuse of a family member. Ariel's maternal grandmother has since gone on record to say that she wishes CPS would have given her a chance before taking the children from her home. A recent hearing moving to unsealed portions of Ariel's adoption and foster care records was scheduled to take place in February of 2024, but has since been continued. Family court cases are often called ghost cases due to the privacy laws that makes it difficult to access them.

Starting point is 00:21:03 That same month, a rally of family and supporters gathered outside of the Capulet Courthouse during one of the many ongoing court hearings. Both family and the general public rallied seeking answers in closure for Ariel's disappearance. Melanie Joseph and Adam Sellers both expressed what they were hoping for in the situation. Melanie explained, I kind of had a feeling because when I saw my kids, my daughter would have bruises on her, just knowing if I was right or not when I had those feelings of her not being treated well and what happened pretty much. Adam Sellers stated, just exactly what happened when I wasn't around and got some closure because, like I said, we still don't know exactly what happened to her. To date, adoption documents are still sealed and since family court hearings and the recordings aren't open to the public, it remains unknown as to whether a case was ever opened or if the state ever requested permanent removal of Ariel and her siblings from the home.

Starting point is 00:22:04 It's a bit unclear what the relationship was between the sellers and the Kaluas. There is little known as to the current state of Ariel's other biological siblings due to the privacy laws. Both Lahua and Isaac Kalua have been housed without bail at the Oahu Correctional Facility since their indictment on November 17, 2021. Now, as always, all accused are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We'll also keep an eye out for updates if and when they become available. To date, Ariel's remains have never been found.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Ariel Sellers

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