It was a tearful day on Laniakea Beach. A rope normally placed around a basking turtle circled a make-shift memorial instead for Honey Girl, a green sea turtle that would regularly come ashore to rest at Laniakea.

"This morning I was getting more angry that someone could actually severely slaughter a honu," said Kirsten Plath, a volunteer with a turtle guardian group that educates the public about the honu. She was one of the last people to see Honey Girl alive on the beach Tuesday and she came back out Sunday, along with others from the group, to say good bye.

"I was happy I could make it to the beach today," she said, "just to honor our Honey Girl."

The green sea turtle is an endangered animal protected under federal and state law. Anyone who hurts or harasses them faces heavy fines and possible jail time.

On Saturday, Honey Girl, named for her honey-colored shell, was found in a shallow sandy grave. She had been gutted and one flipper was missing. Volunteers found bits of the turtle floating in the ocean. As a precaution, life guards put up shark warnings.

Ocean safety said the signs were taken down as of 2 pm Sunday and there were no shark sightings reported.

Turtle guardian Patrick Doyle was the one who found the turtle buried upside-down. He says images of the slaughter will remain with him for a long time.

"The belly plate was removed and you could see the clear cuts through her body," he recalled.

Federal officials took the turtle carcass for a necropsy. Anyone with information on this case can call 643-DLNR.

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