Authorities in Hawaii have arrested a man who they say is linked to three killings, following an extensive manhunt across theBig Island.
Officials announced that they had taken Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, into custody on Thursday afternoon after receiving information that led to his capture. The development came after law enforcement found the bodies of three elderly men earlier in the week.
“First and foremost, I want to thank our community,” Reed Mahuna, the chief of the Hawaii police department, said during a press conference. “It was a citizen that saw something, said something and helped bring this manhunt to a safe conclusion.”
On Tuesday, the department had reported it was investigating two “separate suspicious deaths” that occurred in close proximity to one another. The first victim was Robert Shine, 69, whom police found dead at a residence late on Monday evening. Patrol officers responding to a call nearby on Tuesday afternoon found a 79-year-old man dead with “suspicious injuries”.
Later that evening, patrol officers responded to a home 19 miles (31km) away from the other victims where they found John Carse, 69, dead.
By Wednesday, police announced they were looking for Baker, who they said was a suspect in the three homicides and was considered “armed and extremely dangerous”. Authorities undertook an extensive search for Baker with assistance from the FBI, the US Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations and state agencies before finding him on Thursday afternoon.
Witnesses reported that a man who resembled Baker was in the grassy area of a field and hiding as passing traffic approached, Mahuna said. He was later seen on surveillance footage fleeing from the property to nearby land where officers ultimately found him in a small cave.
As of Thursday afternoon he had been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, burglary and theft, among other offenses. Police told reporters on Thursday that they could not yet say publicly how the killings were linked to one another or if Baker will face first-degree murder charges.
Days before the killings, two women had sought restraining orders against Baker and accused him of threats and harassment. A judge denied the applications and said there was not enough proof. The Hawaii police department has said it was not aware of the allegations filed in those petitions.
The Associated Press reported that there was no attorney listed for Baker. In most of his past cases, such as traffic infractions, he represented himself in court.
The incident and search unsettled the rural part of the Big Island, Kimo Alameda, the mayor of Hawaii county, said at the Thursday press conference.
“I couldn’t sleep last night, me and many others, and that’s why I extend my deepest gratitude to the officers, investigators and all supporting agencies who have been working around the clock to find this suspect,” he said.
