In a case that has shaken the coastal community of Maili, a mother and her husband are now facing felony charges after a 13-year-old boy allegedly endured years of brutal treatment before making a desperate escape. The boy fled his home on St. John's Road on Thursday, August 6, 2026, hiding beneath a neighbor's house until the homeowner returned. That neighbor promptly contacted the Honolulu Police Department, setting off a chain of events that exposed what authorities describe as a pattern of systematic abuse.

Lieutenant Deena Thoemmes of the HPD Criminal Investigation Division detailed the allegations during a press conference. Officers initially responded to a runaway report, but the boy's account quickly transformed the investigation into something far more sinister. He told police that the mistreatment had been ongoing since at least April 2024, with incidents escalating in severity over time.

The victim recounted multiple violent episodes involving his mother, 35-year-old Jasmine Querros Pele. In one instance, she forced him to hold a medicine ball while she sprayed water into his face with a hose, making it difficult for him to breathe. On another occasion, she pressed a knife to his throat and demanded he "convince me why I shouldn't kill you." The boy also showed investigators a scar on his thigh from a stabbing with a paring knife that he said his mother had inflicted.

Perhaps most disturbing, the boy alleged that his mother purposely provoked the family's dogs to attack him, resulting in multiple bite wounds to his legs. The abuse took a new turn in July 2026 when he said he was zip-tied by the wrist to a chair in his bedroom for hours. He was routinely locked in his room overnight, forbidden from using the indoor bathroom, and forced to urinate out the window and defecate outside.

Food deprivation was a constant theme. The boy told investigators he was denied food despite seeing it in the home. When he ran away, he had not eaten for roughly three days and had been wearing the same underwear for approximately one month. The stepfather, 36-year-old James Heffernan, is also accused of direct physical abuse. The boy said that on Wednesday, August 5, Heffernan punched him several times in the forehead and threw him against a wall, causing bruising and pain. Both adults allegedly restricted his access to food.

Officers who responded to the neighbor's call observed injuries and scarring on the boy that matched his descriptions. After obtaining a search warrant, detectives arrested both suspects early Friday, August 7. Evidence recovered from the home supported the boy's allegations, police said.

On Saturday, August 8, prosecutors charged Pele with torture and kidnapping. Heffernan was charged with accomplice to commit torture and kidnapping. Pele's bail was set at $400,000, while Heffernan's was set at $200,000. Police confirmed that three children lived in the home—the 13-year-old victim and two younger siblings. All three are now under the custody of Child Welfare Services.

Lt. Thoemmes praised the victim for his courage in escaping and commended the neighbor for acting quickly. "He made the decision to leave the residence, seek safety and disclose what had been happening to him for years," she said. The investigation remains active, with authorities withholding additional details due to the involvement of a juvenile victim.