Man wanted over 3 killings apprehended after an intense search of
Hawaii’s Big Island
[May 29, 2026]
By DAVE COLLINS, CLAUDIA LAUER and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER
HONOLULU (AP) — A man wanted in connection with the killings of three
men was apprehended Thursday after a massive search of Hawaii’s Big
Island that had left residents on edge.
Police said Jacob Baker, 36, of Pahoa, Hawaii, was arrested on suspicion
of murder, burglary and other charges following a search that involved
“significant resources," including help from state and federal
authorities. They described him as “armed and extremely dangerous.”
Authorities said they believe Baker is involved in the deaths of three
men: a 69-year-old man found partially submerged in a cement pond, a
79-year-old man who was found just a few hundred feet (meters) away, and
a third man, also 69, whose body was found about 19 miles (31
kilometers) away.
The killings took place over two days in a remote and mostly rural part
of the island, which is the largest in the Hawaiian chain at more than
4,000 square miles (10,360 square kilometers). The area is a mix of
tropical landscape and barren lava fields.
Police received information Thursday afternoon that Baker was hiding in
a grassy area, ducking down as traffic passed, Hawaii Police Chief Reed
Mahuna said at news conference after the arrest. Police found him hiding
in a small cave and arrested him.
Deborah Davis was driving home when she slowed down near where one of
the people killed had lived. That’s when she saw a policewoman chasing a
man running on the road.
“I just stopped and I’m thinking, this is it, this is the guy,” she
said.
The man ran into a grass driveway and into the jungle. After some
yelling, several officers emerged with a shirtless man in handcuffs. She
said officers were giving each other high-fives and shouting, “chee hoo,”
a celebratory yell common in Hawaii.
“They were very happy,” she said. “And I was very grateful. I was
thanking them with tears in my eyes.”
Police said they had not identified a motive but were confident Baker
was involved in all three killings. Mahuna did not release information
on how police identified Baker as a suspect or what evidence may connect
him to the killings. He said investigators had not found any connections
among the victims, other than two of them lived near each other.
Women accused Baker of threats and harassment
The slayings happened just days after two women requested temporary
restraining orders against Baker, saying he had threatened and harassed
them at a farm. One woman was staying there and the other co-owned it. A
judge denied both applications, saying there was not enough proof of
harassment.
One of the women claimed in her petition that Baker threatened to kill
several women who were staying on the property, and caused a number of
them to move or end their stays. She included a link to a video that
allegedly captured at least one threat, but the link had either been
removed or was incorrect as of Thursday.
The other woman alleged that Baker threatened women and a disabled man,
and said he would trespass on the property, take things that didn’t
belong to him and said his intention was to squat on the property.
No attorney was listed for Baker, who had 20 other cases in the court
record in the past two decades, many of them traffic infractions. In
most of those cases, Baker represented himself.
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Police arrest a man accused of multiple killings, right, on
Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Kaimu, Hawaii. (Deborah Davis via AP)
3 men found dead over 2 days
Police identified the first victim as Robert Shine and the third
victim as John Carse. The name of the 79-year-old man was pending
positive identification. Autopsies show Shine was strangled, and
Carse died from “sharp force trauma,” police said.
On Monday night, police found Shine at a residence partially
submerged in a cement pond, Mahuna said. On Tuesday, the 79-year-old
man was found dead with apparent blunt force injuries shortly after
12:30 p.m., Mahuna said.
Later Tuesday, at around 10 p.m., police responded to a property
about 19 miles (31 kilometers) away on a welfare check request and
found Carse dead.
Stephen Shaffer said Baker had lived on his ex-wife's property in
Puna, where they grow fruit, and Baker climbed coconut trees for
her. But after several months, he said, she sought a temporary
restraining order against Baker. Shaffer said he didn't know details
of their falling out, only that his ex-wife felt threatened by Baker
and wanted him to move out.
“He just seemed to me kind of angry,” said Shaffer, who lives in a
separate dwelling on the same property. He added that others in the
area were concerned about Baker but didn’t elaborate.
Donald Hyatt, who is friends with two of the men killed and
Shaffer’s ex-wife, said Baker left the cabin he was living in on the
property months ago.
“He left the place in disarray,” Hyatt said. “Trash inside and out.”
Baker returned recently claiming “squatter’s rights,” and threatened
Shaffer's ex, Hyatt said. Hyatt urged her to seek a restraining
order.
Puna, on the eastern side of the island, is a largely rural but
fast-growing area known for affordable land. It's also an area where
lava flows have wiped out entire communities over the years.
Residents on edge
Before the arrest, Puna resident Tiffany Edwards Hunt said many in
the community were on edge. She said she had never seen so many
police cars in Puna.
Many in the area live in poverty, she said.
“We have people who live in blue tarps in a jungle in makeshift
homes,” Hunt said.
Puna is just 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Hilo, east Hawaii’s main
town, but with unpaved roads in many parts of Puna, it can feel
farther away, she said.
“In that remoteness, you have lawlessness,” Hunt said.
___
Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut, and Lauer from
Philadelphia.
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