(Update #4) Police Arrest Jacob Baker
(Update #4) Police Arrest Jacob Baker
Hawai‘i Police Department
(Update #4)
On Thursday afternoon, May 28, 2026, at 2:38 p.m., Hawaiʻi Island police apprehended and arrested 36-year-old Jacob Daniel Baker of Pāhoa, who was wanted in connection with three homicides in Puna this week.
After an extensive, multi-agency manhunt in the lower Puna area, police apprehended Baker in Kalapana.
It was reported that a male party resembling Baker was observed on video surveillance hiding within a vacant lot in the Kaimu area of Kalapana. Witnesses reported observing the male repeatedly ducking down as passing traffic approached.
The surveillance footage also captured the suspect fleeing from the initial property onto an adjacent property. Officers and detectives responded to the area and conducted a search, ultimately locating Baker concealed within a small cave on the neighboring property. Baker was taken into police custody without further incident.
Federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Marshals Office, as well as the state Department of Law Enforcement Sheriffs and state Department of Land and Natural Resources DOCARE officers assisted in the search for Baker.
The investigations into the three homicides remain ongoing at this time, including notification of next of kin for victim #2. Police to please contact Detective Duane Rapoza at (808) 961-2383 or via email at Duane.Rapoza@hawaiipolice.gov, or Detective Daniel Tam at (808) 961-2380 or via email at Daniel.Tam@hawaiipolice.gov. Members of the public may also call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
Citizens who wish to remain anonymous can make an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers does not record any calls or subscribe to caller ID.
The police department thanks our federal and state fellow law enforcement agencies for their assistance. We also thank the many members of the community who reached out and offered tips and information.
