FAIRFIELD —
After more than 30 years, Fairfield police say they’ve solved a kidnapping murder case of a 3-year-old victim. The suspect is already in prison for committing other crimes against children.
The victim’s father, Ron Handa, told FOX40 it’s almost as if he got a sign from a higher power that a break in his son’s case was coming.
“I got up at 5 in the morning, and I had the weirdest feeling, I had my smart phone on my night stand and I looked up breaking news and nothing breaking, well (now) this is breaking news,” Handa said.
Fairfield police now say they know who kidnapped and killed his son in the summer of 1984. Three-year-old Clark Toshiro Handa was taken in the middle of the night from his bedroom, where he was sleeping with four other family members.
“The community was very sad and shocked, shocked,” said Fairfield City Councilwoman Catherine Moy, who recalls the media stories. “It went on and on and the heartbreak went on and on.”
Reopening the cold case in 2011 with help from the FBI, Fairfield police are releasing few details on how they connected the dots, but they’re now charging Michael Anthony Blas Fejarang with first-degree murder and kidnapping for ransom. Fejarang is already serving a 26-year prison sentence, serving time for separate child molestation cases from incidents in 1981, 2001 and 2002, according to police.
“That little 3-year-old angel died and then that monster goes on to do other things, just horrible, horrible,” Moy said.
Handa said the DA’s office told him to release few details about Fejarang, but he confirmed to FOX40 he was a family friend at the time.
A retried Fairfield detective who worked the case in the 1980s also told FOX40 Fejarang’s arrest doesn’t surprise him, and that his name was on a short list of people of interest because his story didn’t add up. But officers at the time had little physical proof.
“All I can say is thanks for never giving up on the case,” Handa said.
Although some answers have come, even after more than 30 years, Handa said the pain of losing his son still lingers.
“It’s bittersweet you know? We’ll find relief once the whole thing is over with,” Handa told FOX40.
Fairfield police have now handed the case over to the Solano County District Attorney’s Office.
