Hawaii police are searching for an 'armed and extremely dangerous' man suspected of murdering three elderly people over the course of just two days. Jacob 'Jake' Daniel Baker, 36, is the sole suspect in a terrifying murder spree that took place Monday and Tuesday on Hawai'i Island, also known as the Big Island.
The first victim, 69-year-old Bob Shine, was discovered Monday evening. The second victim, Chitta Morse, 79, was found Tuesday afternoon just 400 to 500 feet away from where Shine was killed. Friends and family members identified them. A third, unidentified 69-year-old man was found dead Tuesday night about 19 miles from the site of the first two bodies.
'Over the past 48 hours, our island has experienced three separate homicides in the Puna district, all of which we believe are connected and involve a single suspect,' Hawai'i Island Police Chief Reed Mahuna said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. 'We have mobilized significant resources and personnel to address this situation swiftly and thoroughly. Bringing this suspect into custody without anyone further being harmed is the number one priority.'
On Wednesday, the Hawai'i Police Department issued two media releases urging the public to share information about Baker and to avoid approaching him as he 'is considered armed and extremely dangerous.' The second release included photos of the suspect, one of which shows a tattoo under his left eye that says 'La Flaquitas.'
Police described Baker as Asian, five feet nine inches tall, and about 190 pounds with short black hair. No suspected motive for the murders has been shared, and police said there is no known connection between the victims other than the first two living next to each other.
The Hawai'i Police Department has shared scant details of the murders to protect the integrity of the investigation, but witnesses who reported the bodies have shared the disturbing scenes they encountered on social media and to news outlets. Police said Shine, the first victim, was found a little before 8pm partially submerged in a cement pond on Monday and that it was initially unclear whether the death was an accident. The victim's friend who identified him, Don Hyatt, told Kaua'i Now that Shine was found in the catchment tank in his front yard. Catchment tanks are commonly used to collect rainwater in rural Hawaii.
Morse, the second victim, was discovered shortly after 12.30pm Tuesday. Police said it was immediately clear he had been murdered due to blunt force trauma injuries. A person employed by Shine told the Hawai‘i Tribune-Herald that he had gone to Morse's home to warn him of his neighbor's murder, and that is when he found the elderly man dead. The witness said he found Morse's mutilated body on a bed surrounded by plastic 55-gallon barrels and that his face was disfigured beyond recognition. He added that the elderly man was missing fingers and that he initially thought he had found a 'butchered animal.'
The third victim was found just before 10pm on Tuesday after police conducted a welfare check at his home. The 69-year-old man has had the fewest public details surrounding his death released. Baker has a mild criminal history consisting of traffic violations, DUI and open container charges, but he has no prior violent record.
But locals who live around Papaya Farms Road, where the first two victims were killed, said the suspect's behavior had become increasingly erratic and troublesome in the weeks leading up to the murders. A 49-year-old Papaya Farms Road resident who spoke anonymously in fear of retaliation, as Baker is still on the loose, told the Hawai'i Tribune-Herald that the suspect had recently been evicted from his residence on the road. He then bounced between houses in the area, asking acquaintances if he could stay at their places for a few nights at a time.
The anonymous source said that Baker had stayed at Morse's home for a few days before he was kicked out and went to stay at a communal living property further down Papaya Farms Road. Members of that community said Baker was 'erratic, manic and paranoid,' and that he said he was 'fleeing police,' according to the source. Shine reportedly allowed Baker to stay at his home for a few days in the weeks before he was murdered.
After staying for an unclear number of days, Baker reportedly got into a fight with other members of the communal property on Monday afternoon, during which he attacked multiple people and kicked a dog. He fled after one of the women living on the property pepper sprayed him in the eyes, the source said. After he left in a hurry, the people he attacked reportedly went through his belongings and discovered a notebook full of 'sick, violent, paranoid stories' that included threats of rape and violence. They submitted the disturbing evidence to police the next day.
The Hawai'i Police Department has asked anyone who has information about Baker or believes they have spotted him to call 911 or (808) 935-3311. Anonymous tips can be submitted at (808) 961-8300.
