A man allegedly kills 3 elderly men in Hawaii within 48 hours. Police are still looking for him
Three elderly men were killed within 48 hours in Hawaiʻi, leaving devastated families in mourning and a terrified community on edge as police searched for the suspect.
Police identified Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, of Pāhoa, as the suspect in the three murders. Hawaiʻi Police Chief Reed Mahuna said Baker remains at large and is considered “armed and extremely dangerous.” A press conference on Wednesday.
“We cannot at this time disclose the evidence linking the three individuals or the method we used to obtain this information, but we are confident that the suspect here is responsible for or involved in all three murders,” Mahuna said.
Baker is described as being 6 feet tall, weighing approximately 190 pounds, with short black hair and a tattoo under his left eye.
3 murders in 2 days
The first victim, a 69-year-old man, was found Monday evening in a partially submerged cement pool at a residence on Railroad Avenue in Pāhoa, Capt. Jeremy Lewis said Wednesday; This discovery initially left investigators uncertain whether he was experiencing a medical emergency or foul play. He said an autopsy performed Wednesday morning confirmed it was a homicide.
Just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, officers found a second victim, a 79-year-old man killed by blunt force trauma, at a home off Papaya Farms Road, according to Lewis; only 400 to 500 meters from the first victim’s home.
Then, just before 10 p.m. that same evening, officers responding to a welfare check found a third victim, a 69-year-old man with apparently fatal injuries, at a property on Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road about 30 kilometers away, Lewis said.
Police said no firearm was used in the killings, but Mahuna declined to say what gun investigators believe was used or what evidence links Baker to the deaths.
“We do not have any connection between the victims other than victim number one and victim number two living very close to each other,” police said.
Police said they had not determined the cause of the incident.
Warnings before murders
On Friday, days before the bodies were found, two women filed for temporary restraining orders against Baker, according to documents obtained by CNN; one claimed Baker made threats against his life and the lives of others.
The initial restraining order was filed by the owner of Josanna’s Organic Garden, a tropical organic farm, who alleged in the application that Baker had threatened the lives of herself, a disabled man and three other people living on the property.
The farm is located on Papaya Farm Road, the road where the body of one of the victims was found. CNN has reached out to the owner for comment.
“I don’t feel safe,” he wrote. “He’s going to come onto our property and take things, threaten us, says he wants to squat there.”
The second request was made by a friend of the farm owner, who said he did not feel safe staying there.
“When I came to stay at my friend’s farm, I noticed that the women had left because this man was threatening to kill them,” he wrote. “He’s intimidating the owner of the farm and threatening to harm him. EVERYONE SET THEMSELVES UP BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT SAFE.”
Both restraining order petitions were denied Tuesday; the day the last two victims were found.
A judge ruled there was “insufficient evidence” in the petition filed by the owner of Josanna’s Organic Garden to determine probable cause for harassment under Hawaiʻi law, according to court documents.
Mahuna said Wednesday that he was unaware of the restraining order applications.
Beyond court files, neighbors too explained Baker had been acting erratically in the days before the murders. Mahuna said Baker was known to the community and police before the murders.
CNN contacted Hawaiʻi police to ask if officers had previously received calls about Baker and for comment on the restraining order applications.
‘I’m still really in shock’
Police have not released the identities of the victims, but family members have begun speaking publicly about their losses.
His daughter, Anon Shine, said one of the victims was farmer Bob Shine and that she was shocked by her father’s death.
Shine said he was hosting a birthday gathering when he learned of the murders and later received a call from a neighbor who witnessed what happened.
“At first I wasn’t sure if it was a joke or one of those things you don’t think is possible,” Shine said. “He told me first-hand stories of other neighbors, and that’s how I learned it was true.”
“I’m literally still in shock and going through different waves of emotions and disbelief and sadness, I look at old photos and remember all the good times and remember what a light of love he was to so many people,” she told the CNN affiliate. Hawaii News Now.
Manhunt continues
Mahuna said police have significant resources to follow up on leads in the Puna area.
“We cannot disclose at this time exactly what methods we used to search for the suspect because the suspect is still at large,” Mahuna said.
Police are increasing patrol presence in the affected areas as the killings have caused “fear and anxiety” in the community, according to Mahuna.
“If the suspect is watching this, we want him to contact the police, surrender himself and not risk further harm to anyone else or himself, to go inside,” Mahuna said.
Anyone who sees Baker should call 911 or the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
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