‘Devastating’: Body of former Edmonton woman, 72, found in Waikiki dumpster

Honolulu police are investigating the death of a former Edmonton resident whose body was found in a dumpster at her Waikiki apartment in Hawaii.

An investigative supervisor at the medical examiner’s office in Honolulu confirmed the Feb. 11 death of Elizabeth Nolin, 72, who is listed as a resident at an apartment in Waikiki.

The cause of death is pending and the Honolulu police department is investigating, said Phillip Verso.

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“On Feb. 10, 2025, just before midnight, the reporting person, an 87-year-old male, reported that his fiancée, a 72-year-old female, left their apartment at about 8 p.m. and had not returned. Officers initiated a Miscellaneous Public Report. On Feb. 11, 2025, just after 2 a.m., the reporting person called 911 explaining his fiancée had not come home yet,” said Honolulu Police Department spokesperson Michelle Yu.

“Officers responded and thoroughly checked the area. They located her in the residential trash room within a dumpster. EMS responded to the scene where the pronouncement of her death was made,” Yu said.

Authorities are not releasing the autopsy results pending investigation.

Local media reported Nolin and her fiancé, 87, were frequent visitors to the Islands.

‘Go-getter’ Nolin loved country, golf

Back in Canada, Nolin’s family are mourning her loss.

“It’s incredibly shocking,” said her niece, Tamara Nolin.

Tamara recalled Elizabeth Nolin as a gifted business woman and a skilled multitasker, a giving person who loved sharing her passion for the sport of golf and for the arts with others.

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“She was a very vivacious woman, full of energy. She was always willing to take on a challenge,” Tamara Nolin said.

“That woman was very influential in the community, very well known, very well loved.”

Her extended family was of great importance to Elizabeth Nolin, her niece said.

“My dad is devastated, as are the rest of her siblings,” she said.

Nolin, a former Ontario resident who held positions with Alberta Golf and with the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, is warmly remembered in her roles at the Royal Mayfair.

“We were very sorry to hear about Elizabeth Nolin’s passing,” said club chief operating officer and general manager Matt Johnson.

“She was a warm and active presence at the club, and our thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time,” Johnson said.

A friend, Claire Beaudoin, was startled to learn of Nolin’s death on Friday.

“It’s devastating. It’s absolutely horrid,” Beaudoin said in a phone interview.

“She was a very colorful and outgoing lady … a real go-getter.

“She was very friendly, very fun.”

Nolin’s passions included country music and golf, and she frequently swapped with Beaudoin for tickets to Big Valley Jamboree, the former St. Albert resident said, recalling her friend as a “straight-up cookie.”

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“She wasn’t somebody that was going to get into trouble with anything weird,” she said, noting the police report that Nolin had gone out alone in the evening.

“It just makes the rest of us have to wake up, and don’t put yourself in what could possibly be harm’s way.”

The crime rate in Waikiki is above the American national average and the Hawaii state average, according to FBI figures from September 2023.

Erin Evans, an expat Canadian real estate broker in Waikiki, said crime is on the rise in the popular resort town.

“Crime in Waikiki in general has been on the rise, it’s definitely getting a lot worse, for expats or locals,” she said.

“Especially at nighttime, it’s gotten a lot worse.”

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