Malama Na Honu held a memorial service yesterday at the site of the killing of the green sea turtle at Laniakea Beach .

Volunteers of the guardian group that was set up to educate the public and protect the threatened species will place lei at the site where the turtle was partially buried in the sand, said Patrick Doyle, Malama Na Honu project coordinator.

Its belly shell had been cut off, and a flipper was missing. The top part of the shell, which was attached to the head, was found partially submerged in the sand. The head and three remaining limbs were still attached to the carcass, Doyle said yesterday.

The 200-pound female turtle, found on the beach Saturday morning by a beachgoer, was called "Honey Girl" because of her honey-colored shell, Doyle said. Her body has been taken to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration facilities, where scientists will perform a necropsy.

The turtle was one in a group of about 20 that regularly comes to bask in the sun on the beach commonly called "Turtle Beach." The green sea turtle is included on the federal Endangered Species list.