Hawaii Police Search for Man Wanted in Three Homicides

Hawai'i Island police said they are searching for a 36-year-old man they believe is responsible for three homicides committed in the Puna district within the past 48 hours. Hawai'i Island Police Chief Reed Mahuna said at a news conference that officers responded to the first death Monday evening at a home where a 69-year-old man was found partially submerged in a cement pond.

On Tuesday afternoon, officers found a 79-year-old man dead from apparent blunt force trauma at a home 400 to 500 feet from the first scene. The third victim, a 69-year-old man, was discovered Tuesday night about 19 miles from the first two locations.

No gun was used in any of the killings, police said.

The suspect is identified as Jacob "Jake" Daniel Baker of Pāhoa, police said. Mahuna said Baker should be considered armed and extremely dangerous even though a firearm was not used in the attacks. A woman filed a petition for a temporary restraining order against Baker last week, court documents show.

The filing stated Baker had threatened her life, the life of a disabled man, and three people living on a farm.

Mahuna said bringing Baker into custody without further harm is the department's top priority and that significant resources have been deployed. Police urged anyone who sees Baker to call 911 and not approach him. Anon Shine, whose father Bob Shine was among the victims, told ABC News that her father was a community organizer in the Puna area.

No known connection exists between the victims other than the first two living near each other, police said.