The Missing Girl Zahra Baker

[janet42]

This is the update of the missing girl. I hope that they find her either alive or dead. She seems like a sweet girl who had a very bad 2 years

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10....missing.girl/

[janet42]

I can't believe not one reply. Doesn't anyone cares for this kid?

[janet42]

I guess not. Hopefully she's in a better place.

[Family Ties Forever!]

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10....missing.girl/

Authorities searching landfill in case of missing N.C. girl
From Natisha Lance, HLN



October 20, 2010 -- Updated 2044
Police say they're investigating Zahra Baker's disappearance as a homicide.

Hickory, North Carolina (CNN) -- Police were searching a North Carolina landfill Wednesday for "a piece of evidence" in the case of a missing 10-year-old girl, Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said.
A team from Hickory police and agents from the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation and the FBI were participating in the search at the Foothills Environmental Landfill in Lenoir, North Carolina, Hickory police said in an earlier statement.

Zahra Clare Baker was reported missing October 9. However, no one other than a family member has reported seeing her since September 25, when a woman reported seeing her at a furniture store, police said. Authorities have said her disappearance is being investigated as a homicide.
The landfill search could take up to five days, Adkins told reporters at a news conference Wednesday. He was tight-lipped about what investigators are searching for, saying only that interviews had led authorities to "this piece of evidence that we believe is in the landfill ... we hope that if we find this evidence, that it will provide a good, solid timeline that will assist us in working this case. ""We are not looking for [Zahra's] body in the landfill at this time, no," he said.

Video: Investigators searching landfill

Video: Landfill combed in missing girl case
Video: 911 calls in Zahra Baker case released

Adkins asked that anyone outside Zahra's family who had seen her in the past month contact authorities. Police said last week that the girl's stepmother, Elisa Baker, admitted to writing a fake ransom note that was left at the family's home. She was arrested October 10 on unrelated charges, including writing worthless checks. More recently, authorities charged her with obstruction of justice, a felony, after she admitted writing the fake note, according to Adkins.

Elisa Baker remains jailed on those charges. A hearing was held Wednesday on a motion by her attorney, Scott Reilly, to reduce the bond on the obstruction of justice charge, which he said was excessive. But rather than decrease the bond, District Court Judge Robert Mullinax Jr. increased it, from $40,000 to $65,000 -- still less than the $100,000 requested by prosecutors. Mullinax cited the "disturbing and unsettling allegations around the charge." The disappearance of Zahra -- a freckle-faced youngster who wears a prosthetic leg and hearing aids -- has made international news. The girl lost her leg to bone cancer, according to CNN affiliate WCNC. Police have said her prosthetic leg is also missing, but her hearing aids are not.

Police on Monday said they had been in contact with Zahra's biological mother in Australia and had asked for the girl's medical records. Clyde Deal, deputy Hickory police chief, told HLN on Tuesday that authorities are particularly interested in records pertaining to Zahra's prosthetic leg, such as its model, composite material and serial number. Asked about dental records -- which can be used to identify remains -- Deal said, "I would rather have too much information than not enough. When you're talking about two different countries, it takes longer to do things."

After admitting she wrote the fake ransom note, Elisa Baker requested an attorney, police have said. Deal said Tuesday that authorities have requested an interview with her through her attorney and "she has declined to speak with us." Elisa Baker appeared at the hearing via closed-circuit television, wearing pink jail scrubs over a white long-sleeved shirt. Her daughter, Amber Fairchild, testified that her mother has never been employed that she can recall and has never had a stable residence. After Zahra was reported missing, Fairchild testified, Elisa Baker told her she wished she could leave the state.

Fairchild said if her mother were released, she would fear for her safety and that of her family. "I would have to leave the state," she said. Fairchild also said her mother has been in touch with a man in London, England, and picked up money from him just before her arrest. She estimated the man has given her mother $10,000 over the last year.

Police said the girl's father, Adam Baker, also faces bad-check charges, but he has not been arrested. He is assisting police in their search. Deal on Tuesday would not comment on whether Elisa Baker and Adam Baker were given polygraph tests. Family members and neighbors have told reporters that Zahra's stepmother had abused her. Reilly vehemently denied those allegations during an interview Monday. "Whatever investigation was done, there was never anything substantiated regarding child abuse by Elisa Baker," he said.

Earlier, a relative said that the alleged abuse was reported to the state Department of Social Services, but the relative did not know the outcome. The state office said such a report would have been handled by a county office but that the agency is barred from commenting because of strict confidentiality laws. Asked about the abuse allegations, Deal said Tuesday, "Obviously, we're going to look into everything." On whether Zahra slept with her leg on at night, he said, "I think I have the answer to that, but I don't want to speculate."

He said Monday that Zahra's biological mother is "very concerned, and she's very appreciative of everything being done to solve this case." Authorities are not clear on the circumstances of the split between the girl's parents, he said. Deal said Tuesday authorities are still looking into whether Adam Baker knew his wife had written the ransom note.

HLN's Beth Carey contributed to this report.

Wow, that is a sad story. I hope they find her. That must be difficult to get around without her prosthetic leg. That's good that she has her hearing aids.

[Dianne3]

I have been following this case some on TV.

I wouldn't take it too personally if nobody responds to your thread. I have noticed SO seems to be dying. Also, a lot of threads that are started on other boards, are not followed up by the person who started them.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by janet42

I can't believe not one reply. Doesn't anyone cares for this kid?

Just because the thread doesn't have many replies is no sign that none of us care. I've been following the story especially since I used to live near Hickory, NC.

Originally Posted by Dianne3

I have noticed SO seems to be dying. Also, a lot of threads that are started on other boards, are not followed up by the person who started them.

SO is not dying, Some of us have lives other than posting on a message board.
If updates are needed in threads then the topic starter or someone else will take care of it.

[Crimson and Clover]

seeing as how i am in nc and very close to where the girl lived i hear about it constantly

[janet42]

Originally Posted by Dianne3

I wouldn't take it too personally if nobody responds to your thread. I have noticed SO seems to be dying. Also, a lot of threads that are started on other boards, are not followed up by the person who started them.

I usually don't but this is such a horrible story I was very surprised that this didn't get the reaction like Caylee Anthony did.

Thanks for the response guys.

[Family Ties Forever!]

This is sad too. This child has been missing for months.

7-year-old Kyron Horman missing from Oregon since June 4, 2010

[Family Ties Forever!]

link

Potential Evidence Found in Case of Missing NC Girl
Updated: 5 hours 25 minutes ago
David Lohr Contributor

AOL News (Oct. 27) -- A discarded mattress found in a North Carolina landfill could provide investigators with an important clue to the disappearance of Zahra Clare Baker, the 10-year-old disabled girl who is feared slain.

Employees of the Foothills Environmental Landfill in Caldwell County found the mattress Tuesday, in the same area police had searched last week. At the time of the search, Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins told reporters they were searching for a "piece of evidence," but he declined to elaborate. Investigators believe the mattress could belong to Zahra. They also suspect the mattress holds evidence that could be relevant to the case, police said.

James Nix, Independent Tribune / AP
A May 2010 file photo shows Zahra Clare Baker, 10, waiting to get a hearing aid at an event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
"This mattress possessed DNA evidence that will be tested in the future to confirm if it is involved with this investigation," Hickory Police said in a statement to AOL News.

Zahra's father, Adam Baker, told police he last saw his daughter sleeping in her bed about 2:30 a.m. Oct. 9. He said that he and his wife slept in that Saturday morning and did not notice Zahra was missing until about 2 p.m.
During the investigation, specially trained dogs detected the scent of human remains on property belonging to Baker and Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker. Dogs also detected similar scents during a recent search of property that reportedly belongs to a tree services company that employed Zahra's father for about the past six months, according to the Hickory Daily Record.

Investigators believe the hearing-impaired girl, who has bone cancer and uses a prosthetic leg, could have been missing for two weeks before police were alerted. On Monday, authorities arrested Adam Baker on charges unrelated to her disappearance. According to North Carolina media reports, Baker faces one count of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of failure to return rental property, two counts of communicating threats and five counts of writing worthless checks.

Earlier this month, Elisa Baker was charged with obstruction of justice in the case after she allegedly wrote a ransom note to confuse authorities. The stepmother had previously been arrested on charges unrelated to the child's disappearance. Those charges include writing fraudulent checks, larceny and failure to appear. No one has been charged in connection with Zahra's disappearance, and Elisa Baker says she had nothing to do with it.

Investigators said Tuesday that Baker and her attorneys have been "providing information" to police. "This information and all other leads are being followed up by the investigation team," Hickory Police said in a statement to AOL News. Hickory Police Deputy Chief Clyde Deal has declined to elaborate on what prompted Baker to talk with police or what information she has provided to them. "I will not say what our conversation involved," Deal told the Charlotte Observer.

Meanwhile, a team of local, state and federal law enforcement continues to search a Caldwell County area where a local resident had reported smelling a foul stench, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Authorities have yet to comment on what, if anything, has been found. They are also not saying how long the search will continue. Adam Baker is being held at the Catawba County jail on $7,000 bond. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Nov. 18. Elisa Baker is being held on a $65,000 bond.

Copyright 2010 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.

link

Prosthetic Leg Discovered In Search For NC Girl
Prosthetic Found In Stepmom's Home; Zahra Baker Lost Leg To Cancer
Mitch Weiss, Associated Press

Posted: Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Updated: 10:16 pm CDT October 27, 2010


This undated photo provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows Zahra Clare Baker, a 10 year-old North Carolina hearing-impaired girl with a prosthetic leg who is missing. The girl was last seen by her stepmother at 2:30 a.m. Saturday Oct. 9, 2010. A fire was reported in the Bakers' backyard about 5 a.m.

Hickory, N.C. -- Searchers looking for the remains of a missing North Carolina girl with disabilities found a prosthetic leg and authorities were trying to determine if it was that of the 10-year-old, police said Wednesday. Hickory Police Maj. Clyde Deal said searchers found the leg at a home where the stepmother of Zahra Clare Baker's once lived. The girl was fitted with an artificial leg after she lost hers to bone cancer and authorities say the one they found is consistent with hers. Zahra, who also uses hearing aids, was reported missing Oct. 9 and authorities believe she is dead.

Deal also said a mattress found by workers at a Caldwell County landfill will be tested for DNA evidence. The prosthetic leg was discovered Tuesday afternoon near some brush in Caldwell County near the home. Deal said the family lived at several locations in the county and that he wasn't sure how long ago they occupied that house. Authorities on Tuesday took Elisa Baker to a home where she once lived and Deal said she was cooperating after being jailed since the weekend her stepdaughter was reported missing.

Adam and Elisa Baker told police they had last seen Zahra in her bed at their home in Hickory, about 50 miles northwest of Charlotte. But police don't believe them. Investigators said Zahra may have been alive when the family moved to a new home in North Carolina in mid-September, but they've had trouble finding anyone else who has seen her in recent months. Elisa Baker, 42, has been charged with obstruction of justice. Police said she acknowledged to writing a bogus ransom note found at the scene of a fire in the family's back yard on the day her stepdaughter was reported missing.

Adam Baker, 33, was arrested Monday. He is facing one count each of assault with a deadly weapon and failure to return rental property, two counts of communicating threats and five counts of writing worthless checks, authorities said. They are not related to his missing daughter's case. Authorities in recent weeks have combed wooded areas and a landfill for evidence or her body. Adam Baker and his daughter lived in Australia until he met Elisa online and moved to North Carolina, where she was raised.

Hickory police have searched his house and property several times, though he insists he had nothing to do with Zahra's disappearance. Police have not ruled him out as a suspect. Neighbors and relatives have said that Elisa Baker was abusive toward her stepdaughter. Caldwell County Department of Social Services investigated the family because Zahra went to school with bruises and a teacher alerted school officials.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.