Prosecutors plan to seek life without parole for Hawaii adoptive parents accused of murdering their 6-year-old daughter

• Isaac and Lehua Kalua face life in prison without parole if found guilty of killing Isabella Kalua.
• Under Hawaii law, crimes against children can be punished more harshly. Isabella was 6.

Hawaiian prosecutors want to put Isabella Kalua's adoptive parents in prison for life with no parole if they are found guilty, court papers show.

Lehua and Isaac Kalua were charged with the murder of six-year-old Isabella, after her weekslong missing person case turned into a murder investigation.

The Kalua, who live near Honolulu, told authorities that Isabella had gone missing on September 13.

But police soon concluded that Isabella died around a month previously, and believe her adoptive parents are to blame.

The Kaluas are the sole suspects in the case and were arrested on suspicion of her murder on November 10.

Isabella's remains have not been found. Her sister, who was also adopted by the Kaluas, told Honolulu Police that the couple often locked Isabella in a dog cage and duct-taped her mouth.

Isaac Kalua then feigned COVID-19 symptoms in order to take time off work to hide the evidence, the sister said.

"The allegations in this case are heinous beyond description," said a press release from City Prosecutor Steve Alm Wednesday, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "And we will hold Lehua and Isaac Kalua accountable for their alleged crimes against this defenseless child."

The girl's young age merits enhanced punishment, prosecutors say. "An extended term of imprisonment is necessary for the protection of the public," according to an indictment filed Wednesday.

Under Hawaii law, the standard punishment for second-degree murder is life in prison with the possibility of parole. However, in cases where the victim is particularly vulnerable — such as being elderly, disabled, or under the age of eight — that term can be extended.

The case has caused outrage in Hawaii, where hundreds of volunteers turned out to search for Isabella when it was believed she was alive and missing. The girl — whose birth name is Ariel Sellers — would have turned seven on November 6, according to the Star-Advertiser.

The girl's biological family is considering suing the state over its decision to place Isabella in the Kaluas' care.