March 26--SANTA BARBARA -- Santa Barbara County's sheriff's officials on Friday announced that a business associate has been arrested in connection with the "diabolical, premeditated" slaying of an acupuncturist, his wife and 5-year-old daughter.
Pierre Haobsh, 27, of Oceanside was arrested about 12:30 a.m. Friday in San Diego County in connection with the deaths of Dr. Weidong Henry Han, 57; wife Huijie Yu, 29; and daughter Emily Han, Sheriff Bill Brown said. A loaded 9mm handgun and property belonging to one of the victims was found inside Haobsh's car.
Investigators believe Haobsh was recently involved in a business transaction with Han, Brown said. Detectives are still investigating the motive of the slayings, but believe they could have been killed for financial gain.
"This investigation is far from over," Brown said. "It is complex and ongoing."
Han's colleagues became concerned about his whereabouts when he failed to show up Wednesday morning for a meeting in Los Angeles, Brown said. His colleagues said "it was highly uncharacteristic" of Han not to attend a planned meeting.
Two associates later went to Han's home to check on him and noticed the front door was ajar, he said. The family's cars were still at the property.
They immediately notified sheriff's deputies, who then entered the home and found the family dead, Brown said. Han's wife and daughter were last seen at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Han was last seen at 10 p.m. the same day.
Haobsh's arrest came 32 hours after the family's bodies were found, Brown said.
"This tragic case is a terrible blow to the Santa Barbara community and the medical community at large," he said. "Dr. Han has an impressive background in Chinese herbal medicine and Western medicine."
News of the slayings has sent shockwaves through the holistic medicine community.
Han ran the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic, which practices Chinese medicine and offers a Chinese herbal pharmacy.
Community Centered Oriental Medicine, a clinic in Santa Barbara, called the deaths a "tragic loss." Han was "the real thing, and [we] will miss him dearly," the clinic said.
"Henry helped hundreds of people in this area with his knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine," the clinic said. "A graduate of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, he practiced here for years, treating very difficult and complicated illnesses, especially cancer."
Han's clinic is about three miles from the home.
According to his clinic's website, Han was born into a family of doctors. As an herbalist, Han created "individualized herbal formulas" for his patients.
Patients arrived Friday at Han's clinic carrying colorful bouquets and handwritten notes. Irma Russell collected the flowers and arranged them on a table, creating a memorial for a man who touched many in Santa Barbara. Russell was one of them.
For almost half her life, Han treated 71-year-old Russell's back pain and chronic flu-like symptoms.
"You just knew he was going to fix it," Russell said. "He worked magic."
Patient Ron Rakow, 78, described Han as a "national treasure."
"His life was solving insolvable problems," said Rakow, who suffers from an incurable lung disorder. He came to Han in poor health and labored breathing. Han mixed several herbs into a tea, which Rakow drank daily.
Now Rakow is able to breath easier and can exercise several hours a day.
"This is a sacred place where people come here broken and get fixed," he said.
Rakow said he was heartbroken to learn of the family's death. Earlier this week, he received a call from Han's daughter Emily. She invited him to her 6th birthday party on Saturday.
The couple's daughter, Emily, was a kindergartner at Foothill Elementary School, just two miles from the home.
The Goleta Union School District was providing counseling services and support to families whose children attend Foothill Elementary, Supt. William Banning said.
"Yesterday our community was confronted by the tragic loss of lives due to violence," he said in a statement issued Friday. "Words cannot begin to express the deep sadness that has overcome us."
The slayings have brought "tremendous pain" to the school district, Banning said.
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