Keoki Hilo Demich is a handyman accused of murdering a Florida woman named Cynthia Cole and putting her body in a septic tank on her property.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Department announced in a March 6, 2022, Facebook post that they had found the body of Cynthia Cole, 57. They also released a series of photos relating to the case, which you can see throughout this article.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Authorities Say They Found Cole’s Body in a Septic Tank of Her Jensen Beach Home
Sheriff\’s DeptThe scene at Cynthia Cole’s house
In the press release, Sheriff’s officials revealed, “Body of missing Jensen Beach woman found, handyman charged with murder.”
Late Friday evening and into Saturday morning, on March 4-5, 2022, Martin County Sheriff’s Detectives “located a body believed to be that of 57-year old Cynthia Cole inside the septic tank of her Jensen Beach home,” the press release said.
“Detectives spent hours excavating Cole’s back yard, and located the body submerged in the contents of the tank about four feet underground.”
2. Demich ‘Performed Handyman Duties for Ms. Cole,’ Officials Say
FacebookKeoki Demich
The news release confirms that Demich was a handyman for Cole.
Shortly afterwards, the release says, detectives “located and arrested 34-year old Keoki Hilo Demich and charged him with second degree murder. Keoki performed handyman duties for Ms. Cole.”
Authorities added:
There are elements to this case still being investigated. Positive identification of the body by the medical examiner’s office is expected shortly, however, detectives have every reason to believe it is that of Ms. Cole. We will update the community with additional information as it becomes available.
On March 4, Cole was reported missing by the Sheriff’s Department, which wrote in a post,
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to locate 57 year old W/F Cynthia M. Cole. Cynthia is 5’5, 117 pounds with red hair and light colored eyes. She was last seen wearing an orange shirt…Cynthia was last seen on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at the Jammin’ Jensen event in Downtown Jensen Beach. She drives a 2015 Gray Jeep Cherokee with Florida tag…
3. People Expressed Shock, Describing Cole’s Caring Personality
People who knew Cole left comments on the Sheriff’s Department’s Facebook page thread under the news release. They described Cole’s kind demeanor. Here are some of them:
“Such a tragedy, I am in tears. What a wonderful caring sweet spirited individual as she. I am floored and lost as to why. My deepest sympathy to Cynthia’s family and all who loved her. And for all who cherished her love of life. I will miss her greatly.”
“Thank you so much to MCSO they were so awesome with solving this case!!!! Cyndi was our neighbor literally we can see her house out our kitchen window …. She was a beautiful soul and loved life it’s a shame that someone she had hired for her the past 6 years would do this to her … we seen him everyday or every other day working on her property … Cyndi we love ya and will miss your smiling face !! 🌹❤️ I will cherish the beautiful table you gave us when we first moved in to our house.”
“She was so sweet. This is horrible.”
“Such a tragic loss of a woman who I knew to be kind, funny, upbeat… a lover of the ocean, God, and life. She had a beautiful big bright smile. I am so sorry this happened to you Cynthia Sea . You touched many lives and were loved by many. Love you and I will miss you bunches. Rip sweet baby.”
4. Demich Has Ties to Washington State
Sheriff\’s DeptKeoki Demich
A comment writer on the Sheriff’s thread wrote, “Holy cow. I used to work with that guy at Stuart fine foods 😑. Such a horrible incident, prayers for the woman’s family.”
Online records show that he most recently lived in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, and is 34 years old. His social security number was issued in Washington State, and he lived in Olympia, Washington, fairly recently, according to online records.
In 2018, he posted a series of photos on Facebook showing him in Washington state, captioning them, “Nice day with my mom and brother!!” Cole liked the post.
Other posts on his Facebook page show him with family members. One is a graphic that reads, “I was looking for a chemical solution to a spiritual problem.” Many of his posts were graphics that dealt with religion and overcoming problems.
5. Cole Filled Her Facebook Page With Religious Sayings & Pictures of the Ocean
In March 2021, Cole wrote on Facebook, “To everyone who has blessed me along the narrow path I truly am grateful and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for just being YOU!”
Mostly, she filled her Facebook page with pictures of the beach and ocean. She also wrote posts advocating Christianity. One read, in part,
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN! WE GOTTA GIVE THIS WORLD BACK TO GOD! HAVE YOU EVER LOST A LOVED ONE? DO YOU WANT YOUR FATHER TO FEEL THAT LOSS, THE LOSS OF YOU????? ARE YOU READY TO BE FOUND? TO REALLY LIVE?! TO BE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM ONCE AND FOR ALL?? LETS START WITH YOU! GIVE YOUR LIFE BACK TO GOD, THE FATHER, YOUR FATHER!
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