Three elderly men in Hawaiʻi have been killed within 48 hours, leaving devastated households in mourning and a terrified neighborhood on edge as police hunt for the suspect.
Police have recognized Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, of Pāhoa, because the suspect in the three killings. Baker stays on the run and is taken into account “armed and extremely dangerous,” Hawaiʻi Police Chief Reed Mahuna mentioned throughout a news conference Wednesday.
“We cannot disclose at this time the evidence that we have that connects the three or the method that we use to get that information, but we are confident that the suspect here is responsible or involved in all three homicides,” Mahuna mentioned.
Baker is described as 5-foot-9, about 190 kilos, with brief black hair and a tattoo beneath his left eye.
The first sufferer, a 69-year-old man, was discovered Monday night partially submerged in a cement pond at a residence off Railroad Avenue in Pāhoa, a discovery that originally left investigators unsure whether or not he had suffered a medical emergency or whether or not it was foul play, Capt. Jeremy Lewis mentioned Wednesday. An post-mortem carried out Wednesday morning confirmed it was a murder, he mentioned.
Just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers discovered a second sufferer, a 79-year-old man who had been killed by blunt drive trauma, at a house off Papaya Farms Road — simply 400 to 500 ft from the primary sufferer’s residence, based on Lewis.
Then, simply earlier than 10 p.m. that very same night, officers responding to a welfare verify discovered a 3rd sufferer, a 69-year-old man with obvious deadly accidents, at a property on Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road, roughly 19 miles away, Lewis mentioned.
Police mentioned no firearm was used in the killings, however Mahuna declined to disclose what weapon investigators imagine was used or what proof ties Baker to the deaths.
“We don’t have any connection between the victims, other than the fact that victim number one and number two lived in close proximity to one another,” police mentioned.
Police mentioned they haven’t decided a motive.
Days earlier than the our bodies have been found, two girls sought short-term restraining orders in opposition to Baker, with one alleging he had made threats in opposition to her life and the lives of others, based on NCS affiliate Hawaii News Now.
Mahuna mentioned Wednesday he was not conscious of the restraining order functions.
Neighbors additionally described Baker appearing erratically in the times earlier than the killings. Baker was recognized to the neighborhood and to police previous to the killings, Mahuna mentioned.
Police haven’t launched the victims’ identities, however members of the family have begun to talk publicly about their loss.
One of the victims has been recognized as Bob Shine, a farmer, by his daughter, Anon Shine, who mentioned she was left in shock by her father’s demise.
Shine mentioned she was internet hosting a birthday gathering when she discovered of the killings and later acquired a name from a neighbor who had witnessed elements of what unfolded.
“At first I wasn’t sure if it was a joke or it’s just one of those things you don’t feel is possible,” Shine mentioned. “She’s told me the firsthand stories from the other neighbors, and that’s how I found out that it was true.”
“I’m just still really in shock and just going through different waves of emotion and disbelief and sadness, looking at old pictures and just remembering all the good times and just what a light of love he was to so many people,” she informed Hawaii News Now.
Police have vital assets deployed in the Puna district, following up on leads, Mahuna mentioned.
“We cannot disclose at this time exactly what methods we’re using to search for the suspect as he’s still at large,” Mahuna mentioned.
Police are growing patrol presence in the affected areas because the killings have induced “fear and concern” in the neighborhood, based on Mahuna.
“If the suspect is watching this, we would like him to contact the police, turn himself in, and don’t risk any further harm to anyone else or himself, just come in,” Mahuna mentioned.
Anyone who sees Baker ought to contact 911 or the police division’s non-emergency quantity at (808) 935-3311.