search for – Hawaiʻi Police say they are searching for 36-year-old Jacob Daniel Baker of Pāhoa, whom they suspect in three “suspicious deaths” across the Island of Hawaiʻi on May 25 and May 26. Police describe Baker as “very dangerous” and urge residents to stay vigilant a
A search for a “very dangerous” suspect is underway on Hawaiʻi’s Big Island after three people died in what police are treating as connected cases.
At a news conference on May 27, Hawaiʻi Police Department officials said a man suspected in connection with at least three “suspicious deaths” in recent days is 36-year-old Jacob Daniel Baker of Pāhoa. Capt. Jeremy Scott Lewis said Baker is believed to be “very dangerous.”
“These are a tragic series of events, and our thoughts are with those who are grieving at this time,” Lewis said. Police Department Chief Reed Mahuna also addressed the situation directly, saying: “These are a tragic series of events, and our thoughts are with those who are grieving at this time.”
Officers responded to the first incident on the evening of May 25 at about 8 p.m. local time. They located a 69-year-old male victim “partially submerged inside a cement pond.” At first, the cause of death was unknown, but an autopsy revealed it was a homicide, Lewis said.
The second death was discovered at about 12:40 p.m. on May 26. Officers found a 79-year-old man with blunt force trauma at a residence about 400 to 500 feet away from where the first victim was discovered.
The third victim was found about 20 miles from the first two on the evening of May 26 at about 10 p.m. Police said a 69-year-old man was found dead with apparent injuries.
Investigators have not said why they believe the killings are linked. Officials said they could not reveal the reasons publicly, but they described confidence that the suspect is connected to all three and that a single suspect was involved. A motive was not yet known, police said.
Police also said the victims had no known connection to one another, other than that the first two lived in close proximity. Their identities were not released.
Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda urged residents to remain alert and to contact police if they see anything suspicious or know of Baker’s whereabouts. In a message to the victims’ families. Alameda said. “Our community mourns with you. and we will do everything in our power to support you and bring whoever is responsible to justice.”.
Baker was previously known to police, Mahuna said, without providing more details.
Police said they cannot yet explain what ties the cases together. but the timeline and their stated confidence point to a single investigation spanning multiple locations across the island. With identities withheld and motive unknown. residents are being asked to help investigators close the distance between a suspect police describe as “very dangerous” and the deaths officials have ruled as suspicious and. in the first case. a homicide.
Hawaii Police Department Big Island Jacob Daniel Baker Pāhoa homicide investigation suspicious deaths Jeremy Scott Lewis Reed Mahuna Kimo Alameda manhunt