Shivangi Sinha
In January 2020, reports emerged of a massive fire that engulfed several homes in the Diamond Head neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. Investigators determined that the blaze had started at the home of a woman named Lois Cain, who was initially nowhere to be found. Her remains were later recovered from the burned property, but it soon became clear that there was far more to the story. Looking into the years leading up to the incident, it appeared that things had not been as seamless as they seemed, and authorities ultimately concluded that Lois had been the victim of a homicide. ID’s ‘Fear Thy Neighbor: Hell in Hawaii’ traces the entire timeline of events that led to the tragedy, which claimed lives, injured others, and destroyed multiple homes.
Lois Cain Passed Away in a House Fire That Affected Seven Houses in Honolulu
Lois Ann Kiehl was born on September 16, 1942, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Paul V. Kiehl and Martha Kiehl. Her father served as an Army Colonel and was the chief surgeon at Tripler Army Medical Center, while her mother was a homemaker. Inspired by her father, Lois initially hoped to pursue a career in medicine. She began her undergraduate studies at the University of Hawaiʻi before transferring to the University of Washington, where she earned a degree in zoology. After graduation, she briefly worked on a National Science Foundation project researching pollution in Lake Washington. She later traveled across Europe and even worked as a belly dancer at a Greek restaurant. In the mid-1970s, she returned to Honolulu.
By 1975, she had become well known enough that the Honolulu Star-Bulletin published a profile on her titled “Gyrations of a Belly Dancer.” As time went on, she built a career as an actor, choreographer, and costume designer with the Hawaii Theatre for Youth and found a strong sense of belonging within the local arts community. In 1981, Lois married Raymond Frederick Cain, and together they bought a condominium at 2987 Kalakaua Avenue along the Diamond Head coastline, where they set up their home. She also became involved in her neighborhood by serving as the secretary of the condominium owners’ association during the mid-1990s and was later elected its president.
In 2004, Lois joined the Science and Technology Department at Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa through a federally funded grant, a role she was genuinely excited to take on. However, just a year later, in 2005, she suffered a personal loss when her husband, Raymond Cain, passed away. Lois continued working at the library until her retirement in 2009. In the years that followed, she devoted much of her time to her family and remained actively involved in her community. On January 19, 2020, a massive fire broke out at Lois’ home and spread to six neighboring houses. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, investigators recovered the remains of two people from inside the residence, one of whom was later identified as Lois.
Lois Cain Was in the Process of Evicting a Tenant When Her House Caught Fire
Lois Cain first came across a man named Jaroslav “Jarda” Hanel around 2000, when he was hired by her condominium association as the building’s site manager. After he was dismissed from that position, Lois allowed him to stay at her home in exchange for helping maintain the property. Over the years, she came to rely on him for a number of household responsibilities. In 2015, when her mother’s health began to decline, she temporarily moved to California to care for her and left Jarda in charge of her house. Around the same time, however, neighbors began reporting troubling behavior. They said that Jarda, who was originally from the Czech Republic and had immigrated to the US from Germany, had allegedly believed that the KGB was tracking and filming him. According to neighbors, he allegedly walked around the neighborhood carrying his own recording devices and gradually became more aggressive and confrontational in his interactions with those living nearby.
Over the years, his neighbors filed three restraining orders against Jarda. He was also charged with assault after one of the neighborhood disputes, although he was later acquitted. Separately, he reportedly faced charges for misusing 911 services and was expected to stand trial, but the proceedings never took place. Many of the neighbors repeatedly complained to Lois about his behavior, yet she continued to defend Jarda and urged them to be patient with him. At one point, he got a dog despite Lois not being particularly happy about it, though she did not make a major issue of it after returning to her home in 2018. When the dog later died, Jarda kept its body in a coffin by the roadside for several days before he was persuaded to bury it properly. Around the same time, Lois’ friend, Gisela King, moved into the house. There was less space for everyone, while Jarda’s behavior allegedly became increasingly paranoid and erratic.
Things fully broke down between them after Lois caught Jarda smoking a cigarette inside the house. When she asked him to put it out, he allegedly walked back inside and returned with another cigarette instead. Lois asked him to move out and eventually filed eviction proceedings after he refused to leave. On the morning of January 19, 2020, neighbors said they heard screams coming from the house. When they went to check, they alleged that they saw Jarda attacking Lois’ friend, Gisela King, with a three-pronged garden hoe. Police officers responded to the scene, but two of them were fatally shot after arriving. Investigators later accused Jarda of using firearms that had belonged to Lois’ late husband. Shortly afterward, the house erupted in flames, and ammunition believed to have been stored inside continued exploding as the fire spread to six neighboring homes.
Jaroslav “Jarda” Hanel’s Remains Were Found in Lois Cain’s House
After the fire was brought under control, the remains of Lois Cain and Jarda Hanel were recovered from inside the house. With both of them dead, no criminal charges were filed and no further legal proceedings followed. Investigators, however, concluded that Jarda had likely reached a breaking point after Lois asked him to move out of the property. They alleged that he first attacked Lois in the basement and then allegedly turned on Gisela King when she came to Lois’ aid. Authorities also accused him of intentionally setting the house on fire after the attacks. During earlier legal disputes with neighbors, his attorney had indicated that Jarda had a history of mental health issues and believed that he was being monitored. Following the incident, none of Jarda’s family members came forward publicly, and the case came to an end without any criminal prosecution.
Read More: Don Fluitt Murder: Where Are Terry White and Christine White Now?
