An East Bay family is praying for justice after their loved one was killed while working as a night janitor at a park in Pleasant Hill.
“He loved his family, a very family-traditional man, very responsible. He always wanted to go to work, no matter what, even if he was sick,” said Santiago Jacobo’s wife Alejandra Jacobo.
She said her husband held down two jobs to support his family. But the father of two never returned home from his night job Friday.
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When she went to look for him early Saturday morning, she said he was lying in the parking lot bleeding, right outside his car. He had been stabbed.
“I tried to wake him up, but I think it was too late. He was already dead,” said Alejandra.
Pleasant Hill police say Santiago suffered stab wounds. They say homicides rarely happen in their city and they’re dedicating all their resources to finding the attacker.
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“We’re going to be doing everything that we can to solve this and to bring this to conclusion for Santiago’s family and for the city and for the Park and Recreation District family as well as they lost a friend and coworker,” said Capitan Matt Kristic of the Pleasant Hill Police Department.
The Pleasant Hill Recreation and Park District says they are shocked. They say nothing like this has ever happened before, calling Santiago an all-around good guy who worked hard to keep the buildings clean and in top condition.
His two young children have left messages at a makeshift park memorial. His family told NBC Bay Area Santiago was robbed during the attack.
“You didn’t just take somebody’s life, you took a dad from my niece and nephew, a great husband, my friend,” said David Jacbobo, Santiago’s brother-in-law.
The incident is raising safety concerns for locals who call the park a family-friendly destination.
“It makes me mad, actually, it makes me angry that someone would do that in our place. I’m wondering about the circumstances of course,” said Karen Campbell of Pleasant Hill.
And it comes less than a month after a man was arrested for assaulting a nanny, not too far from the park.
“This is very sad and our main concern right now is also the family of this person and how they’re feeling,” said Laura Acevedo of Pleasant Hill.
They’ve set up a GoFundMe to help support his wife and children who have lost so much.
The family says their grief is hard to put into words. They say Santiago was kind, quiet and loving.
They’ve lit candles in his memory and are praying for justice.
“I just want them to find whoever did this to him,” said Alejandra. “I don’t know why they would do it to him, he was just working.”
