Hawaii Mother and Social Worker Charged with Fatally Beating 11-Year-Old Adopted Daughter for 30 Minutes

Community in Laie, Hawaii, seeks answers as 39-year-old Sina Pili faces charges in the tragic death of her adopted daughter, 11-year-old Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You.

Laie, HI

A heartbreaking tragedy has unfolded in Laie, Hawaii, after a local mother and social worker was charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of her 11-year-old adopted daughter. Prosecutors allege that 39-year-old Sina Pili severely assaulted young Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You, repeatedly striking her over about 30 minutes, ultimately causing the child’s death.

Emergency responders, including Honolulu police, firefighters, and paramedics, arrived at Pili’s home on December 22, 2023, after receiving a frantic call about an unresponsive child. First responders found the girl’s adoptive father desperately attempting CPR, guided by a 911 dispatcher. Azaeliyah was rushed to Kahuku Hospital, where she was tragically pronounced deceased.

At first, both parents denied knowledge of the injuries, attributing visible bruises on the child's body to either sports activities or accidents such as a slip in the shower. However, investigators soon revealed a far darker reality. Authorities determined that Azaeliyah had endured severe abuse, with extensive bruising penetrating deeply into her body. Medical examiners documented horrifying injuries, including deep bruises reaching as far as her diaphragm, wounds consistent with bites, multiple abrasions across her face and body, fractured ribs, and internal injuries indicating possible strangulation.

Further complicating the child’s condition, an autopsy also found that Azaeliyah was battling both COVID-19 and influenza A at the time, and was suffering from pneumonia. Despite this, Pili allegedly forced the young girl to run outside to a nearby chapel on the day she died, intensifying her suffering.

Lieutenant Deena Thoemmes of the Honolulu Police described the abuse as “insidious,” calling child torture "calculated, systematic, and devastating," intentionally designed to break the victim down emotionally and physically.

In the days following the child's death, investigators also examined allegations of potential abuse involving Pili’s other four adopted children, all aged 12 and under.

Shockingly, Pili held a master’s degree in social work and was an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, where her employment has since been terminated. Pili also worked as a behavioral health specialist at Kahuku High and Intermediate School, where authorities arrested her last Friday.

Pili is currently held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on March 13. Meanwhile, Azaeliyah’s adoptive father remains under investigation but has not yet been charged.

The community, shaken by the cruelty revealed in this case, continues to mourn and seek answers, determined that no child should ever suffer such a fate again.