text: Han's colleagues became concerned about his whereabouts when he uncharacteristically failed to show up Wednesday morning for a meeting in Los Angeles, Brown said. Two associates later went to Han's home, a gated 7-acre ranchette at the top of a hill off the 101 Freeway. ||||| THE BIG SCENE: IN CONCERT: The Watch List The 34th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival is nearly upon us and like many, that catalog of films is going to be a big blur soon. If one has limited time and not a full pass, what are the must see films this year? There are eleven days, ... More» 
   
   ||||| SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — The "horrific" slaying of a practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine, his wife and their 5-year-old daughter in their California home does not appear to be random, authorities said. 
   
   The crime was discovered Wednesday when sheriff's deputies responded to a call for a welfare check on the residence in a modern neighborhood on winding streets just outside Santa Barbara. 
   
   After obtaining a search warrant, detectives entered the home early Thursday and coroner's investigators collected the remains, which were identified as those of 57-year-old Dr. Weidong "Henry" Han; his wife, 29-year-old Huijie "Jennie" Yu; and their daughter, Emily Han, a kindergartner. 
   
   County and state forensics teams were brought in to process the scene and autopsies were to be conducted to determine the cause and manner of death. 
   
   "Sheriff's detectives are actively investigating this case and are working around the clock to determine who is responsible for this horrific crime," Santa Barbara County sheriff's spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said in a statement. "Early indications are that this was not a random attack." 
   
   The Sheriff's Office did not immediately release information about what prompted the welfare check or describe the scene. 
   
   Han owned and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic since 1991, according to its website, which says he had an extensive background in Chinese herbal medicine and Western medicine and was a co-author of books on the combination of the two traditions. 
   
   Han provided traditional treatments including acupuncture, acupressure and herbal formulas from an on-site Chinese pharmacy, according to the website. It also says he came from a family of doctors in China, earned medical degrees in Beijing and studied graduate-level psychology in the United States. 
   
   Dr. Glenn Miller, a psychiatrist, who with Han was among three co-authors of a book on ancient herbs and modern medicine, told the Santa Barbara News-Press that Han was "a healer in the truest sense of the word" and a doting father. 
   
   The home, built in 2005, was purchased in Han's name in 2012 for $1.65 million, the newspaper reported. ||||| [UPDATE, 11:10 p.m.]: Authorities have released the names of three homicide victims found Wednesday evening at 4640 Greenhill Way: Dr. Weidong “Henry” Han, his 29-year-old wife Huijie “Jennie” Yu, and their five-year-old daughter Emily Han. No additional details were provided in the press release issued by Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kelly Hoover. 
   
   Emily was enrolled in kindergarten at Foothill Elementary School. By Thursday afternoon, Foothill kindergarten families were consulting the school psychologist about how best to discuss the incident with their children. 
   
   “From my very few interactions with [Emily], she seemed like a sweet and curious child who was very interested in learning about other kids and the world at large,” said Independent senior editor Matt Kettmann, whose son is in her class. “Our neighbors and the entire Foothill community are in shock, yet again.” In August 2014, Santa Barbara County resident Nicolas Holzer was arrested and charged with killing his parents and his two sons in their home near Goleta. Holzer’s son Vincent, 10, attended Foothill Elementary School. 
   
   More information will be released Friday at noon, Hoover said. 
   
   Léna Garcia 
   
   [UPDATE, 5:15 p.m.]: Authorities have identified but not released the names of the three people found murdered following a Wednesday evening welfare check at 4640 Greenhill Way near Goleta. 
   
   “Sheriff’s detectives are actively investigating this case and are working around the clock to determine who is responsible for this horrific crime,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kelly Hoover in a press release. She added, “Early indications are that this was not a random attack.” The victims’ names are being withheld pending next-of-kin notification. 
   
   Situated on a seven-acre avocado orchard at the top of a gated driveway, the four-bedroom home is registered as being owned by well-known Chinese herbal medicine specialist Dr. Weidong “Henry” Han. Han, 57, is the founder of the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic located across from La Cumbre Plaza. 
   
   Forensic investigators from the Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Justice are collaborating on the investigation. Hoover said the next update from law enforcement officials will be at 10 p.m. Thursday night. Anyone with information on the case is asked the call the Sheriff’s anonymous tip line at (805) 681-4171. 
   
   Courtesy Photo 
   
   [UPDATE, 12:45 p.m.]: A short time ago, Sheriff’s detectives were witnessed entering the Santa Barbara Herbal Clinic on upper State Street, which is run by Dr. Weidong “Henry” Han. 
   
   Han is the listed owner of the Greenhill Way home where the three bodies were found. 
   
   People could be seen inside the clinic, but they declined to answer the door. Phone calls went unanswered. Potted plants had been moved in front of the entryway to dissuade access. 
   
   Greenhill Way neighbor John Frank told Independent editor Lena Garcia that between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, he saw two police cars approach Han’s home. By 4 p.m., 11 more law enforcement vehicles had arrived. Frank said he watched an Asian man and another person being led down the driveway by officers. The man was not wearing handcuffs, he said. 
   
   [UPDATE, 12:00 p.m.]: Independent assistant news editor Léna Garcia is on the scene and speaking with neighbors. Cindy Lafonde jogs near the home every day and said its occupants were rarely seen, describing them as “very quiet people.” “I’ve only seen the gardener,” she said. Garcia described the home, which sits above the private condominium community of Forte Ranch, as surrounded by large gardens and not visible from the main road below. 
   
   [ORIGINAL REPORT]: A Wednesday evening welfare check at a mansion in unincorporated Santa Barbara developed into a “suspicious death” investigation, in which three bodies were found around 12:25 a.m. Thursday. 
   
   Courtesy Photo 
   
   Around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sheriff’s deputies responded to 4640 Greenhill Way for a welfare check, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kelly Hoover. “They found evidence inside [the home] that prompted a suspicious death investigation.” The Mediterranean-style home, located in an unincorporated area between Goleta and Santa Barbara, sits at the end of a long driveway and occupies a seven-acre property. Public records show it was last sold in 2012 to Dr. Weidong “Henry” Han, founder of the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic. 
   
   As of early Thursday morning, investigators and the Sheriff’s Coroner were on scene. The Sheriff’s Office stated it would delay naming the dead until next-of-kin were notified.
target: – A family of three was murdered in their Santa Barbara County home this week, and authorities don't think the slayings are random. Authorities responded to a request for a welfare check at the upscale Goleta Valley home Wednesday and found the bodies of Dr. Weidong "Henry" Han, 57, his wife Huijie "Jennie" Yu, 29, and their daughter Emily Han, 5, in what law enforcement describes as a "horrific" scene, KEYT reports. A family friend who used to pick Emily up from kindergarten says the family had stopped responding to phone calls and texts before authorities went to check on them. Han, an author of several books, ran the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic, a Chinese medicine practice and Chinese herbal pharmacy, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was "a healer in the truest sense of the word," his co-author tells the Santa Barbara News-Press, per the AP. Details are scant, but the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's office says the investigation so far indicates "this was not a random attack." "Our neighbors and the entire Foothill community are in shock," an editor of the Santa Barbara Independent says.