The long-delayed murder trial over the 2021 disappearance of 6-year-old Ariel Kalua is being pushed back again, which is bad news for her surviving siblings and anyone hoping for closure soon.

• A defense attorney in the case died, so a new lawyer must be appointed and given time to prepare, which could add up to two more years to the wait.
• Isaac and Lehua Kalua, Ariel's adoptive parents, still face murder charges and have pleaded not guilty; prosecutors allege she was tortured, and her body has never been found.
• The delay also pushes back a related civil case brought by Ariel's surviving siblings, one of whom is a key witness still waiting to testify.
• A longer wait makes it harder to track down witnesses and preserve evidence, and memories can fade over time, which could hurt both sides.
• Finding a new attorney is complicated by the case's size — over 20,000 documents — and the small pool of lawyers qualified to handle murder cases.

Outlook: With a new defense attorney still to be found and prepared, the criminal trial is unlikely to start soon, and the civil case for Ariel's siblings will likely stay on hold even longer.