Hawaii Triple-Murder Suspect Found in Cave After Manhunt

By Drea

May 30, 2026 9 Min Read

A security camera captured what would become the final hours of a terrifying manhunt. The Hawaii triple-murder suspect found in cave on Thursday, May 28, 2026, was Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, whose arrest brought relief to a community gripped by fear. Robert Shine, 69, John Carse, 69, and a 79-year-old man later identified by loved ones as Chitta Morse were dead. Baker now faced multiple charges including second-degree murder.

The footage from Mark Wyatt’s property showed a shirtless, shoeless man walking down a dirt driveway with a dog, dropping to the ground as vehicles passed. Wyatt, 61, recognized the figure immediately. Although the man’s face wasn’t visible, Wyatt believed it was Baker, his former neighbor who had become the subject of an intense manhunt across Hawaii’s Big Island. Within an hour of his 911 call, police had Baker in custody.

Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna credited the tip and surveillance video for bringing the search to a safe conclusion. Officers found Baker concealed in a small cave on a neighboring property in the Kaimu area of Kalapana at approximately 2:45 p.m. He was arrested without incident.

How Did the Hawaii Triple Murder Unfold?

Discovery of the First Victim

On Monday, May 25, 2026, police responded to a residence in the 14-000 block of Papaya Farms Road in Pāhoa, located in the rural Puna District of Hawaii’s Big Island. Robert Shine, 69, was found dead, partially submerged in a cement pond. An autopsy later determined that Shine died from strangulation. The pathologist’s final ruling remained pending toxicology results.

Two More Bodies Found

On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, shortly after 12:30 p.m., police discovered a second victim approximately 400 feet from Shine’s residence. The 79-year-old man, whom loved ones identified as Chitta Morse, had died from apparent blunt force injuries. The close proximity of the two victims suggested a potential connection, although Chief Mahuna later stated that investigators had not identified any relationship beyond their geographic nearness.

At around 10 p.m. that same Tuesday, officers responded to a welfare check request at a property in the 12-7800 block of Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road. There, they found the third victim, John Carse, 69. This location was approximately 19 miles from the first two crime scenes. An autopsy performed Wednesday revealed that Carse died from sharp force trauma.

The Manhunt Intensifies

After identifying Baker as a suspect, authorities launched a massive search operation. The effort included local, state, and federal partners: the FBI, Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Marshals Service, multiple police departments from Honolulu, Hawaii, and Kauai, the state Department of Defense, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.

Officers worked long hours in challenging terrain and difficult conditions. Residents reported seeing drones overhead and police canvassing the area. The community lived in fear during those days. Priya Surrago, a Puna resident, said many people in the area didn’t even have locks on their doors because of the close-knit nature of the community.

Who Is Jacob Daniel Baker?

Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, had lived in the Pāhoa area for several years. According to neighbors Wyatt and his partner Richard Valdez, Baker had been their neighbor for approximately six months a couple of years prior. During that time, Baker had a girlfriend and a baby, and worked harvesting coconuts.

“He was a level-headed guy,” Valdez recalled. However, something changed. The woman left with the child, and Baker moved out, though he remained in the area. Residents would see him selling coconuts at an intersection near Wyatt’s property.

Warning Signs and Escalating Behavior

Court records reviewed by The Associated Press showed Baker had appeared in roughly 20 cases over the past two decades, many involving traffic infractions. However, more concerning patterns emerged in the days before the murders.

Just days before the bodies were discovered, two women sought temporary restraining orders against Baker. One woman alleged that Baker threatened to kill several women staying at a farm property where he had recently been evicted. The other woman claimed he threatened women and a disabled man, trespassed on the property, and expressed his intention to squat there.

A judge denied both applications, stating there was insufficient proof of harassment.

Disturbing Social Media Activity

In the days leading up to the killings, Baker posted odd videos to social media platforms. Two days before Robert Shine’s body was found, Baker shared a video online. Days earlier, he had posted several videos of himself speaking in lengthy, erratic rants, appearing with red markings across his face.

In one video, Baker said, “had to dump three girls in one week, none were in love with me.” In another, he stated, “I already know what they thinking this f*ers tweaking.”

These posts demonstrated increasingly unstable behavior. Ariyah Barron, a resident who witnessed Baker’s capture, described him as “intense” and said she had seen him angry and verbally abuse people, prompting her to keep her distance.

What Led to Baker’s Arrest?

The Crucial Tip

On Thursday, May 28, 2026, just after 2:30 p.m., police received information that a possible suspect had been observed hiding within a grassy area in a field near Kaimu Cove. Witnesses reported seeing a male ducking down as passing traffic approached.

Mark Wyatt’s security camera, attached to a monkey-pod tree on his 4-acre oceanfront property, captured the critical footage. Wyatt and Valdez were in the process of building a house on the land. When Wyatt reviewed the footage, he immediately called 911.

The Capture

Video surveillance captured Baker fleeing from property to property, according to Chief Mahuna. Officers and detectives responded to the area on Kalapana Kapoho Road and conducted a search. They ultimately located Baker concealed within a small cave on the neighboring property.

Baker was taken into custody without incident at approximately 2:45 p.m. Aumrae McCarroll, a resident who witnessed the arrest, said, “I just felt so much relief in my whole body.”

Charges Filed

Baker was arrested on suspicion of multiple offenses:

Murder in the second degree
Burglary in the first degree
Unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle in the first degree
Theft in the first degree
Criminal property damage in the fourth degree
Theft in the fourth degree
Unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle in the first degree

What Do We Know About the Victims?

Robert Shine

Robert Shine, 69, was the first victim discovered. Found partially submerged in a cement pond at his Papaya Farms Road residence, Shine died from strangulation. Residents described him as a longtime member of the community.

Aumrae McCarroll said he had known two of the victims: “My mother was friends with them and I grew up around them, and so yeah, definitely a heavy heart.”

Chitta Morse

The 79-year-old victim, whom police initially did not identify publicly but loved ones named as Chitta Morse, was found just 400 feet from Shine’s residence. He died from blunt force injuries. The close proximity of these two victims was the only connection investigators identified between any of the deceased.

John Carse

John Carse, 69, was found approximately 19 miles from the other two victims. An autopsy revealed he died from sharp force trauma. The distance between Carse’s location and the other crime scenes initially puzzled investigators, who found no known connections among the three men beyond their general residence in the same region of the Big Island.

Why Did This Happen? Understanding the Context

The Eviction and Escalation

According to Stephen Shaffer, whose ex-wife owned property where Baker had lived, Baker had climbed coconut trees and helped with fruit cultivation on the land. However, after several months, Shaffer’s ex-wife sought a temporary restraining order against Baker because she felt threatened and wanted him to move out.

“He just seemed to me kind of angry,” Shaffer said. Donald Hyatt, who was friends with two of the deceased men and Shaffer’s ex-wife, said Baker left the cabin “in disarray” with “trash inside and out.” When Baker returned recently claiming “squatter’s rights” and threatened Shaffer’s ex-wife, Hyatt urged her to seek a restraining order.

A Community’s Vulnerability

Ariyah Barron expressed concern for kūpuna (elders) in the community, noting many lived alone. “I didn’t personally know the victims, but I know that they’ve been in the community for a long time,” Barron said. “It hits us all hard, and there’s a lot of grief in that.”

The rural nature of the Puna District, with its close-knit community where many residents didn’t lock their doors, made people particularly vulnerable. After Baker’s identification as a suspect, fear spread rapidly. “Everybody was afraid he could show up at their house with a machete,” Wyatt said.

No Clear Motive Identified

As of the arrest, Chief Mahuna stated that no motive had been identified. Investigators remained confident that Baker was “responsible or involved in all three homicides,” but the connections between the victims and what drove Baker to allegedly commit these acts remained unclear.

The different methods used in each killing, strangulation, blunt force trauma, and sharp force trauma, suggested possible escalation or crimes of opportunity rather than a single planned event.

What Happens Next in the Case?

The investigations into all three homicides remain ongoing. Police have not released information about what evidence connects Baker to the killings beyond their confidence in his involvement. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Baker had obtained legal representation to speak on his behalf.

Hawaii Island Mayor Kimo Alameda expressed appreciation for the public and all officers who worked around the clock. “This was truly all hands on deck,” Alameda said during the Thursday news conference.

Chief Mahuna emphasized the human cost behind the investigation: “Behind every investigation, every search and every arrest are real people whose lives have been forever changed. We will continue to do everything that we can to ensure that we support them and seek justice on their behalf.”

How You Can Help

Authorities continue to seek information related to the case. Anyone with relevant details is urged to 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 tips through Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to caller ID.

Stay Informed on True Crime Cases

Cases like this underscore the importance of community vigilance and the critical role citizens play in public safety. The courage of witnesses who reported what they saw directly led to Baker’s apprehension and potentially prevented further violence.

For more in-depth analysis of true crime cases and the psychology behind criminal behavior, subscribe to the Crime and Psyche YouTube channel. We examine the warning signs, behavioral patterns, and investigative processes that help us understand and prevent violent crimes.

Sources

The Weight of What Remains

Three men are dead. Three families are grieving. A community that once left doors unlocked now questions its sense of safety. Robert Shine, Chitta Morse, and John Carse were more than victims in a crime statistic. They were neighbors, friends, and longtime members of a tight-knit community on Hawaii’s Big Island.

The arrest of Jacob Daniel Baker brings some measure of relief, but it cannot restore what was lost. The investigation will continue, seeking answers to questions that may never fully satisfy those left behind. What turned a man who once seemed “level-headed” into someone allegedly capable of taking three lives? Why these particular men? What could have been done differently?

Perhaps the most important question is the one this community already answered: what responsibility do we have to each other? Mark Wyatt saw something and said something. Witnesses reported suspicious behavior. A network of law enforcement agencies coordinated their efforts. In the end, vigilance and cooperation prevented what could have become an even greater tragedy. That reality offers little comfort to those mourning, but it stands as a testament to the power of community in the face of violence.