Social Worker Arrested in Torture Death of Foster Girl
by Andrew Walden
The latest foster parent arrested for child torture is a university instructor, social worker, DoE behavioral health specialist, and UH Manoa PhD student.
HPD arrested Sina Pili, of Laie, March 7, 2025, for the December 22, 2023, death of her 11-year-old foster daughter, Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You.
(See HPD news release below.)
This is the latest in a series of child-torture deaths of Hawaii foster girls, but this alleged perpetrator is different from the others.
Preserved only on the Wayback Machine, the profile of Sina Pili on the website of a Hawaii Fetal Alcohol Syndrome awareness charity reads:
Sina P. Pili, MSW
Sina P. Pili is a Pacific Islander woman of Native Hawaiian and Samoan ancestry raised in La’ie on the North Shore of Oahu. Married to Davis Pili and together they have four precious children. In her personal time, she enjoys spending quality family time, traveling, eating good food, and serving within her home community and church capacity.
With over ten years working in the social work and behavioral health field, Sina has experience working with children, youth, adults and families. Sina is a Behavioral Health Specialist for the Department of Education.
She is an advocate for FASD awareness and informed services within the school systems. She has participated annually in the summer academy statewide training for the School Based Behavioral Health Department presenting on FASD informed services and strategies to work with students diagnosed with FASD. She continues to provide FASD awareness & education by presenting to organizations such as Parent & Children Together, Leadership in Disabilities & Achievement of Hawai’i Traveling Mini Conference, and etc. provided through the Hawai’i FASD Action Group. Sina is the lead facilitator for the Hawai’i FASD Action Group Parent & Caregiver Support group.
Sina received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the Brigham Young University-Hawai’i and then a Masters in Social Work from the University of Hawai’i. She is a student in the PhD Social Welfare program at the University of Hawai’i with research interests in perinatal mental health, children’s mental health, Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and FASD Behavioral Health informed services in school systems.
Sina Pili was a faculty member of the BYUH School of Education and Social Work. (BYUH link only on Wayback Machine.)
Sina Pili was a Behavioral Health Specialist at Kahuku HS. (DoE link still active.)
* * * * *
News Release from Honolulu PD, March 7, 2025
(LINK)
In the afternoon of Friday, December 22, 2023, District 4 Patrol officers co-responded to a report of an unresponsive 11-year-old female, Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You, at a home in Laie. The Honolulu Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services and the Honolulu Police Department all responded. HFD arrived first and saw Azaeliyah's adoptive father attempting to administer lifesaving care at the direction of the 911 dispatcher. Firefighters immediately took over and continued resuscitation. EMS transported Azaeliyah to Kahuku Hospital Emergency Room where the pronouncement of her death was made at 1:45 p.m.
The Homicide Detail was notified and responded to the scene and to the hospital, where additional interviews were conducted.
It was learned that Azaeliyah's adoptive mother, the suspect Sina Pili, and her adoptive father were also adoptive parents to 4 other children, ages 12, 9, 8, and 7. It was discovered that Azaeliyah stayed home from school on December 20, 2023 because she was not feeling well but returned for the last day of school on December 21, 2023. When she returned home, she was quiet and was still not feeling well. In the evening, she was coughing all night and was given over the counter medication.
On the morning of the incident, Sina woke up Azaeliyah and made her exercise by walking/running at the chapel across the street, despite her being sick. When Azaeliyah came back, she began speaking to Sina and her adoptive father in what they described as "baby talk" and Azaeliyah told them she had urinated in her pants. She was told to shower. It was there where her adoptive father found her unresponsive.
On December 24, 2023, an autopsy was conducted by the Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office. The initial cause and manner of death was deferred pending further testing and a review of medical records.
Due to no immediate known cause of death, the Homicide Detail requested the Child Abuse Detail to further investigate possible neglect/abuse of the living children. Child Welfare Services was notified about the death of Azaeliyah and took custody of her 4 siblings.
During the course of the continued investigation, it was discovered that on the day of the incident Sina made Azaeliyah run outside even though she was sick. Azaeliyah urinated in her pants and then Sina gave her "lickens" by slapping and punching her multiple times- the "lickens" lasted for 30 minutes.
On June 5, 2024, after extensive testing and review of medical records and investigative findings, the Forensic Pathologist determined the cause of Azaeliyah's death to be multiple injuries from child abuse and determined the manner of death to be homicide.
On March 7, 2025, an Oahu Grand Jury indicted Pili for Manslaughter, Endangering the Welfare of a Minor in the Second Degree and Persistent Nonsupport. A No Bail warrant was issued for Pili.
This afternoon, just before 1:30 p.m., the CID Strategic Enforcement Detail arrested Sina Pili in Kahuku on the strength of a grand jury warrant for Manslaughter, Endangering a Welfare of a Minor, and Persistent Non Support. She is being held without bail.
---30---
PDF: Indictment
Tense scene at Azaeliyah's funeral
KITV: … An aunty describing online a tense scene at Azaeliyah's funeral. That's after loved ones noticed her covered in bruises.
Ha'ilau Acevedo wrote, "The tension in that chapel was wild. Everyone had their suspicions. No one spoke a word of it. During the closing of the casket a classmate of hers stood next to me, so innocently he said to his friend, 'You mean to tell me they beat her to death and now we're standing here with them and her dead body?' I turned to him and said, 'It seems so.'" …
read … Child advocates urge community to speak out against abuse
CB: Hawaiʻi Woman Arrested In Abuse Death Of 11-Year-Old Adopted Daughter - Honolulu Civil Beat -- The police investigation revealed Pili had slapped and punched the girl on the day of her death. An autopsy showed the girl had bruising so deep it reached her diaphragm, injuries on her neck indicative of strangulation and wounds on her nose consistent with being bitten. She also had two rib fractures and a hemorrhage on the top of her head, among other injuries, according to police.
SA: Mother charged in ‘torture’ death of adopted daughter, 11, in Laie
SA: Kahuku mother arrested in death of 11-year-old girl -- "Pili was arrested at about 1:45 p.m. Friday at Kahuku High and Intermediate School and will remain in police custody until she appears for arraignment Thursday in Oahu Circuit Court."
HNN: Woman arrested for manslaughter in death of adoptive daughter
KHON: Woman arrested in connection to manslaughter of adopted child
HNN: Kahuku community reacts to an arrest in a child manslaughter case