American Samoan authorities have arrested eight men in connection with the death of a 41-year-old man whose body was discovered over the weekend, in a case that has shocked both Samoa and the wider Pacific community.
According to reporting from the Samoan news website Talanei, Commissioner of Public Safety Taaga Saite Moliga confirmed that police have taken eight suspects into custody as investigations continue.
He said the suspects are expected to be formally charged by Tuesday or Wednesday as inquiries progress.
The victim has been identified as David Golk, a resident of Iliili in American Samoa.
His family has confirmed that he had Tongan heritage through his mother, Vea Golk, who is from Matamaka in Vava’u.
Vea confirmed her son’s death to Kaniva News, expressing the deep grief felt by the family.
In her own words, she said, “It is so very hard.”
According to Talanei, Commissioner Moliga indicated that investigations remain ongoing, with police continuing to gather evidence relating to the circumstances of the death and the involvement of those arrested.
Further information reported by KHJ News provides insight into the final moments before the tragedy came to light.
It reportedly said the last time Vea saw her son was on Friday afternoon.
She recounted that early the next morning, police arrived at her home and requested that she accompany them to the hospital to identify a body that had been found behind a store in Vaitogi.
She revealed that when she saw her son, his injuries were so severe that she could hardly recognise him.
His face, she said, was swollen and black, indicating the level of violence he had been subjected to before his death.
