Records link California home and Te'o case

 
No Author Published: January 19, 2013    Comment on this article Leave a comment

photo - FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2012, file photo, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o walks off the field following an NCAA college football game against Wake Forest in South Bend, Ind. A story that Te'o's girlfriend had died of leukemia _ a loss he said inspired him to help lead the Irish to the BCS championship game _ was dismissed by the university Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, as a hoax perpetrated against the linebacker. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2012, file photo, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o walks off the field following an NCAA college football game against Wake Forest in South Bend, Ind. A story that Te'o's girlfriend had died of leukemia _ a loss he said inspired him to help lead the Irish to the BCS championship game _ was dismissed by the university Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, as a hoax perpetrated against the linebacker. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

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Publicly available records indicate that Tuiasosopo used to live at 21503 Water Street. One neighbor said Saturday that Ronaiah had lived in the house for several years, until about a year ago. Another neighbor said that in her 27 years living on the block there had always been a Tuiasosopo living in 21503, including Ronaiah, his father and an uncle, Navy.

Multiple public records indicate that Navy, who played football for Utah State and the Los Angeles Rams, was a brother of former USC football player Titus Tuiasosopo, Ronaiah's father. A neighbor said Navy had lived at 21503 until his death in 2011.

A Cadillac still registered to Navy Tuiasosopo was parked in the driveway of Titus Tuiasosopo's home in Palmdale, about 90 miles north of Carson, on Saturday. Titus is the pastor of Oasis Christian Church of the Antelope Valley in Lancaster, Calif., and Ronaiah is active in the church band, and most recently has been living with his father.

In a joint interview Saturday, Barbara Kekua, 78, said she has lived at 21403 Water Street since it was built about 50 years ago. Her daughter, Kris Kekua, 45, grew up there, and moved back two years ago, across the street to 21406 Water, to be near her mother.

The two Kekua women said they do not know why their name was chosen for the scheme.

Kris recalled that when the story of Lennay Kekua's supposed death made national sports headlines last fall, friends asked if she was related. "I'm like, 'I don't know who that is,'" she said.

Kris said she had grown up with Titus and Navy on the block.

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Associated Press reporter Tami Abdollah and researcher Lynn Dombek contributed to this story.

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