Renowned Samoan poet and novelist Papalii Sia Figiel has been discovered dead in her cell at Tanumalala Prison where she was awaiti g the result of her trial for the murder of American Samoan academic, Dr. Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard.
Talofa FM News reports Acting Police Commissioner Leiataua Samuelu Afamasaga confirmed she was found dead at 6.16am Monday January 26, 2026.
Her cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
Samoa Global News reports Papalii was arrested in May 2024 and charged with the horrific murder of Dr. Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard at Figiel’s home and theatre space, the GaluMoana Theater in Vaivase-uta.
During Papalii’s trial, which began in August 2025, her defense centered around her mental state, with medical evidence presented in court stating she suffers from a psychotic disorder.
Papalii Sia Figiel was a pioneer in women’s storytelling who gained international recognition for her work, known for incorporating traditional Samoan storytelling techniques.
Where We Once Belonged (1996) won the prestigious Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book award in the South East Asia/South Pacific region in 1997.
Her other works included The Girl in the Moon Circle (1996) and They Who Do Not Grieve (1999).
Her poetry won the Polynesian Literary Competition in 1994.
She is also a noted performance poet and has held numerous residencies at universities and institutions across Europe and the South Pacific.
Her last work was ‘TUSITALA’ an 18 character one-man play which opened at the GaluMoana in 2023 which focused on the lives of the Samoan workers of the famed Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson.
Papali’i lived in American Samoa for many years during which she was a reporter for Samoa News and taught at Faasao High School and the American Samoa Community College. She also worked at the local office of Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin.
