HILO, Hawaii, May 29 (High Desert News Online) — Hawaiʻi Island police arrested Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, of Pāhoa, on Thursday after a search tied to three homicide investigations in the Puna area of the Big Island, authorities said.
Baker was taken into custody without incident, the Hawaiʻi Police Department said. Police had described him during the search as “armed and extremely dangerous” and warned the public not to approach him.
ABC News, citing police, reported Baker was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree burglary and several other offenses. AP-based reports said he was arrested on suspicion of murder, burglary and other charges.
Authorities said Baker was wanted in connection with three separate deaths in Puna over a two-day span. The victims were men: two age 69 and one age 79, according to police and AP-based reports.
Police said Baker was apprehended Thursday afternoon. A police media-release summary listed the time as 2:38 p.m.; ABC News reported police said he was arrested at about 2:45 p.m. local time.
Police Chief Reed Mahuna said at a news conference that officers received information Thursday afternoon that Baker was hiding in a grassy area and ducking down as traffic passed, according to AP-based reports. Authorities found him in a small cave after a resident reported seeing him in the neighborhood, ABC News reported.
The search included state and federal authorities. Fox News reported that assisting agencies included the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, state sheriffs and officers from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
AP-based reports said one 69-year-old victim was found partially submerged in a cement pond, the 79-year-old was found a few hundred feet away, and the third man, also 69, was found about 19 miles away. Fox News reported that police connected Baker to the death of 69-year-old John Carse, whose body was discovered Tuesday evening.
Authorities said they had not identified a motive but believed Baker was connected to all three homicides, according to AP-based reports and ABC News. Mahuna did not release details on how police identified Baker as a suspect or what evidence may connect him to the killings, according to an AP-based report.
