Bradley Bussewitz Murder: The Unidentified Body at Mile 12 on Saddle Road | Revisited: 045

In this Hawaii true crime episode of Beneath the Palms, we revisit the unsolved murder of Bradley Bussewitz, a 47-year-old Wisconsin man whose body was found near the 12-mile marker off Saddle Road on Hawaiʻi Island in 2003. For nearly thirteen years, police and the public did not know his name. He was first known only as an unidentified man found in a remote area outside Hilo, with severe blunt-force injuries and no identification. In 2016, fingerprint technology finally gave him back his name: Bradley Elmer Bussewitz, also known as Bradley Adair. But identification was not justice. Bradley had moved through Wisconsin, California, Maui, and the Big Island, living lightly and close to the land. Public records describe him as someone who grew his own food, lived as a vegetarian, played the didgeridoo, and moved through Hawaiʻi with a van, a bicycle, and a dream of simple self-sufficiency. This episode follows the verified record: the November 2, 2003 discovery near Saddle Road, the murder investigation that followed, the public appeals about a possible hitchhiker and a possible witness, the 2016 identification, and the unanswered question that remains at the center of the case. Who killed Bradley Bussewitz? If you know anything about Bradley, or if those last days of October 2003 stir a memory, contact the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s Unsolved Homicides Division at 808-961-2380, or Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300. Sources: Bradley Bussewitz Murder (H-69230) – Hawaiʻi Police Department https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/bradley-bussewitz-murder-h-69230/ Unidentified body discovered 11-03-03 – Hawaiʻi Police Department https://www.hawaiipolice.com/unidentified-body-discovered-11-03-03 Police initiate murder investigation 11-04-03 – Hawaiʻi Police Department https://www.hawaiipolice.com/police-initiate-murder-investigation-11-04-03 07-08-16 2003 murder victim identified (update with new photo) – Hawaiʻi Police Department https://www.hawaiipolice.com/07-08-16-2003-murder-victim-identified-update-with-new-photo Body found in 2003 ID’d – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2016/07/08/hawaii-news/body-found-in-2003-idd/ After more than a decade, new tech helps identify Big Island murder victim – Hawaii News Now https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/32397898/after-more-than-a-decade-new-tech-helps-identify-big-island-murder-victim/ Hawaii’s Unsolved Murders: Who killed Bradley Bussewitz? – KHON2 News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBxooTsHD0w Bradley Bussewitz – Unidentified Wiki https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Bradley_Bussewitz Mahalo to every source that helped keep Bradley’s name in the public record. A special mahalo to Yoza for “Broken Wings.” You can find her on Instagram at @yozamusic and at yozamusic.com. Follow Beneath the Palms for more Hawaii true crime, unsolved murders, cold cases, missing person stories, and mysteries from across the islands. Darkness may linger beneath the palms, but so does hope. #BeneathThePalms #HawaiiTrueCrime #BradleyBussewitz #SaddleRoad #Hilo #BigIsland #UnsolvedMurder #ColdCase #HawaiiColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #UnsolvedHomicide #HawaiiPodcast