Re: Zahra Baker -- Found Deceased 11/10/10 -- Elisa Baker Pleads Guilty To Second-Degree Murder

by Piper on Wed Oct 13, 2010 10:16 am

A lot of information in this article:

Search for missing Zahra Baker focuses on Burke County property
Stepmother charged with obstruction after police say she admitted writing a fake ransom note to thwart investigation.

Posted: Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010

~Snipped~

In Burke County, crews used backhoes and other equipment to scour a wooded area, including a 50-foot-wide pile of mulch. It was the third time that searchers have been on the property, neighbors said.

They said searchers spent several hours at the property during the day Tuesday, then returned about 5 p.m. for another look. The mulch pile was the center of attention, but searchers also scoured nearby wooded areas.

The property is owned by Real Tree Services, where Adam Baker, Zahra's father, is employed. The company has mulching equipment on the land, and one company official told reporters that Adam Baker would have had access to the property.

Adam Baker was on the scene Tuesday, Burke County Sheriff John McDevitt told WCNC-TV, the Observer's news partner.

McDevitt told WCNC that Baker was "not exactly cooperative" in the search.

Alvin Webb, who lives near the search site, told WCNC that a sheriff's deputy told him a search dog picked up the scent of blood on a wood-chipping machine

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/10/13/1758012/missing-girl-now-believed-to-be.html#ixzz12FRDssG7

The article also states that neighbors in Hickory have never seen a child at the rented property in the 6 weeks since the Baker's moved there from Caldwell County.

by Piper on Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:36 am

Australian news article, Zahra's grandmother speaks

Zahra's disappearance shocks family

ANDY TOULSON | October 13th, 2010

ZAHRA Baker's grandmother Karen Baker and close family friend Kim Wright are devastated by her disappearance.

Both spent many an hour with the bubbly Wagga-born girl in the four years she was growing up in Giru.

Because of her illness, Zahra could not go to school for 12 months, and the local community banded together and raised enough money to buy the Giru State School student a laptop and education programs so she could study at home.

Giru resident Ms Wright met Zahra during one of those fundraising drives and became close friends with both Adam and his daughter, as well as Zahra's grandparents, Tony and Karen.

Read more:
http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/10/13/176611_news.html

by Piper on Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:46 am

Zahra Baker during her Camp Quality trip with soldiers from B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry regiment from Townsville's Lavarack Barracks in Australia

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/10/13/176601_news.html

by Piper on Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:49 am

Picking up pieces of the puzzle

ANDY TOULSON | October 13th, 2010

SO what do we know about Adam, Elisa and Zahra Baker?

Adam, 33, is a Sydney-born landscape gardener, who along with his baby daughter, followed his parents to the tiny North Queensland township of Giru, approximately 56km south-east of Townsville, in mid-2004.

Adam, his father and one other brother gained employment at the CSR Invicta Sugar Mill at Giru, while young Zahra was looked after by his mother Karen.

Little is known about Zahra's biological mother, but neighbours said Adam had told them she had not been involved in her daughter's life since she was eight months old

Read more:
http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/10/13/176631_news.html

by Ann - Tx on Wed Oct 13, 2010 12:42 pm

NC Stepmother Of Missing Girl Appears In Court

By AP, NBC17, 2 hours, 13 minutes ago

Hickory, N.C.-- The stepmother of a missing 10-year-old girl presumed dead showed no emotion as she made her first appearance in court on an obstruction of justice charge.

Read more: http://news.mync.com/site/news/story/56154/nc-stepmother-of-missing-girl-appears-in-court
~~~~~~~~
Note: Baker's next hearing is Nov. 3, 2010.

by Piper on Wed Oct 13, 2010 12:54 pm

Vigil planned Wednesday evening for missing Hickory girl

Updated: Oct 13, 2010 11:00 AM EDT

Zahra with Santa before one Christmas. (Source: MySpace)

A candlelight vigil service will be held Wednesday at 6:30 pm for Zahra Clare Baker at East Hickory Baptist Church, on 16th Street S.E. It will take place on the church playground and is open to the public.

http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13315331

by Piper on Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:05 pm

Link to court hearing video:

http://www.wbtv.com/global/category.asp?c=195957&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5193863&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

~Snipped~

Despite the change in the investigation, people who know the little girl are praying she is still alive.

"There is always hope," said Kayla Rotenberry who lives in the mobile home in Caldwell County next to where the little girl lived until this summer. "She was such a sweet little girl."

On Tuesday, Rotenberry was showing people a drawing Zahra made and a bunny made out of a sock that the missing girl had given her daughter.

Rotenberry's fiance, Bobby Green, said, "I wish all kids were like Zahra."

Green said he saw the little girl with black eyes and bruises in the past, but said the girl's step-mother Elsa Baker "...always said it was Zahra falling down, Zahra doing this, Zahra doing that." Green said he didn't believe the stepmother and thought something was wrong.

The CBS Early Show interviewed two of Zahra's relatives in Hickory Tuesday morning.

"She [Zahra] just had a horrible home life," said Brittany Bentley. "One time, I remember, she had a black eye. She [Zahra] said it was from the door, but we all knew it was from Lisa. I never saw Adam spank her or punish her--do anything. But he would sit there and watch Lisa do it to his child."

Her bond is only $40,000 right now, her attorney is planning to file a motion to have the bond amount reduced. The bond should be much higher, not reduced, IMO

http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13297637

by Piper on Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:34 pm

Correction:

Elisa Baker in court this morning 10/13/10

Baker’s total bond is set at $72,200. This includes the obstruction of justice charge, as well as the previous charges of larceny by employee, four counts of communicating threats, four counts of driving while license is revoked, six counts of worthless checks, unsafe tires, operating a vehicle with no insurance and fictitious or revoked registration/tag.

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/oct/13/missing-girls-stepmom-has-first-court-appearance-ar-454588/

by Justice4all on Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:20 pm

by Justice4all on Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:31 pm

Elisa has a "poor me" attitude on her Myspace posts and people are going to town on her in the comments since Zahra's disappearance. Somehow, I have a feeling she will never get a chance to read the comments unless someone prints them out and mails them to her.

I hope she tells police what she has done with Zahra. Everybody who knew her knew she was abusing Zahra, but Zahra's father did nothing. We often criticize mothers who don't put their children first and tell them to be careful when choosing a partner, but the same thing also goes for fathers. No man or woman is more important than your child's life.

by Ann - Tx on Wed Oct 13, 2010 7:25 pm

Thanks for the Links and videos Piper and J4A!
~~~~~~~

Justice4all Today at 2:31 pm: I agree with you!

Elisa is one mean, wicked, evil, hateful stepmother! She needs to tell LE where Zahra is. I bet Elisa burned Zahra up after killing her.

by Estee on Wed Oct 13, 2010 9:39 pm

I flipped thru the channels and glimpsed at NG as someone was saying that the cadaver dogs hit on the wood chipper...I hope that was wrong...That is just so unimaginable, to think that someone could do that...It is so hideous...I know the stepmom said she wrote the ransom note...and the dogs hit on both the cars...

by FystyAngel on Thu Oct 14, 2010 1:41 am

Police search wooded lot for NC girl presumed dead

Posted: Oct 13, 2010 9:32 AM EDT
Updated: Oct 14, 2010 1:13 AM EDT

HICKORY, N.C. (AP) - Investigators used a police dog to search among tree-trimming equipment and piles of mulch for a missing 10-year-old North Carolina girl on Wednesday, a day after authorities said they believed the girl had been killed.

Hours earlier, Zahra Clare Baker's stepmother showed no emotion in court as a judge explained she could be sentenced to up to 30 months in prison if convicted of obstruction of justice. Elisa Baker is accused of trying to throw off investigators with a fake ransom note.

The girl, who used hearing aids and a prosthetic leg because of bone cancer, was reported missing over the weekend, but police have indicated they don't believe her father and stepmother's story.

Baker's court-appointed attorney, Scott Reilly, said she was "scared to death" and very emotional about everything.

"She's upset about being held in jail. She's upset about being away from her family," he said.

In nearby Morganton, seven officers and a police dog searched for Zahra on a wooded lot among piles of mulch and a wood chipper on Wednesday. The property has equipment belonging to the tree services company that employs her father. Hours later, about 150 people gathered for a vigil in honor of the girl.

An officer who asked for anonymity because he's not authorized to discuss the case confirmed the site was among several where officers are searching for the girl. The officer said a different dog got a "hit" at the scene a day earlier, but nothing was found then.

Investigators also were draining a pond near a Burke County tree-trimming company where Zahra's father worked, though Hickory Police Deputy Chief Clyde Deal said there was nothing specific they were looking for.

"We always want to err on the side of doing more than you need to than not doing as much as you should have done," he said.

District Attorney James Gaither Jr. said he couldn't discuss details about the case.

"I'm upset. The facts are disturbing. You saw the images; she is such a darling child," Gaither said.

Friends have described Zahra as shy but upbeat despite her health problems.

Elisa Baker is the only person accused in the case so far. Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said she was charged with felony obstruction of justice after admitting she wrote the ransom note, which asked for $1 million. She had already been in jail since the weekend on unrelated charges.

Adkins has said police can't find anyone outside Zahra's household who has seen her alive in the last month. The uncertain timeframe has made it difficult for investigators to narrow down places to search for her.

Zahra's father, Adam Baker, has said it was possible his wife could be involved in the disappearance, and other relatives echoed those remarks. The father has not been charged in the case, though the chief said previously he hasn't been ruled out as a suspect.

The ransom note found Saturday was the first sign that the case would turn sinister. Officers discovered it on the windshield of Adam Baker's car when they came to investigate a yard fire at their home. It was addressed to a man Adam Baker had worked for, though police quickly determined that man's family was safe.

Zahra was reported missing that afternoon. The stepmother said she last saw Zahra sleeping in her room about 12 hours earlier, though Adkins has indicated he doesn't believe the timeline the couple gave him.

Relatives and former neighbors, meanwhile, described Elisa Baker as nasty-tempered and violent in interviews and court documents. Zahra usually took the brunt of her wrath, they say.

"She was always beating her," former neighbor Karen Yount said Tuesday. "I told her to stop but she wouldn't listen to anyone. That poor girl."

Caldwell County Court records show that Yount and the woman's relative Brittany Bentley each filed a complaint in May accusing Elisa Baker of making violent threats against them on separate occasions.

Other neighbors say they feared for the girl's safety. One said he spoke to an investigator from the Department of Social Services who visited the Bakers' house a few months ago to investigate claims Zahra was being beaten.

Those at the vigil sang religious songs, held hands and implored each other to love their children and report signs of child abuse to authorities.

David King, a deacon at East Hickory Baptist Church, said everyone is praying for her.

"Kids should be having fun. No one should have to go through what she did," he said. "This is just a tragedy."

Douglas Proctor, son of Elisa Baker, said some family members attended the service and he was acting as a spokesman for the family. He asked to be left alone.

"We just want our privacy observed and respected," he said.

Adam Baker was from Australia, and met his current wife over the Internet, a family friend said. Zahra's mother lives outside the U.S.

http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13315071

by FystyAngel on Thu Oct 14, 2010 1:45 am

Pond drained in search for Aussie girl

October 14, 2010, 11:27 am

Authorities searching for the body of Australian girl Zahra Baker began draining a pond near her father's workplace on Wednesday, while her stepmother remained in custody after appearing in court.

Authorities worked late into Wednesday night to drain the pond near a property owned by Real Tree Services, the tree trimming company where Adam Baker, Zahra's Australia father, is employed, The Charlotte Observer reported on its website.

Adam Baker and his wife Elisa, who is Zahra's American stepmother, remain suspects in the disappearance of the 10-year-old girl, who authorities believe has been murdered.

She was reported missing from her home in Hickory, North Carolina, on Saturday.

Elisa Baker appeared in court on Wednesday charged over a fake ransom note, while Adam Baker was reportedly on the scene as authorities searched for his daughter's body on Tuesday.

About 15-25 investigators were working past nightfall on Wednesday in cool, damp weather to drain the pond, CNN reported.

The pond is next to the bushland owned by Real Tree Services that police and cadaver sniffing dogs searched on Tuesday night.

The search included inspections of mulching machinery and large piles of wood chips.

Zahra's father frequently worked there hauling loads of wood and brush to be fed into a wood chipper and turned into mulch, witnesses told CNN.

Adam Baker was on the scene during the Tuesday night search aimed at finding his daughter's body, Burke County Sheriff John T McDevitt told CNN on Tuesday night.

"He seems concerned," Mr McDevitt said.

"But I don't know how sincere his concern is."

Meanwhile, Elisa Baker, appeared in a US court on Wednesday, facing an obstruction of justice charge for writing a fake ransom note demanding $US1 million.

The note was found on a car windshield at the family's home in Hickory, North Carolina, at the weekend, before Zahra was reported missing.

Elisa Baker remains in custody on $US40,000 bail and her lawyer, D Scott Reilly, told the court he planned to file a motion to have the bond amount reduced in an attempt to win her release.

When judge Gregory Hayes asked Elisa Baker if she understood the charge against her and if she had any questions for him, she replied in quiet "yes" and "no" answers.

Mystery continues to surround the disappearance of Zahra, who had her lower left leg amputated five years ago after a battle with bone cancer. The cancer also resulted in Zahra needing hearing aids.

Lieutenant Becky Weatherman of the Burke County Sheriff's Office said the lack of specifics on where to look was making the search more difficult, the Observer reported.

"It's very hard," she said. "Especially if (someone) buried underground or you don't know where exactly to look."

The FBI has been called in to assist local police with the search and conduct any needed laboratory work.
Hickory locals held a candlelight vigil for Zahra outside East Hickory Baptist Church on Wednesday night.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/8130959/pond-drained-in-search-for-aussie-girl/

by FystyAngel on Thu Oct 14, 2010 1:48 am

Elisa Baker's son speaks out at vigil for missing Zahra

By Beth Shayne/NewsChannel 36
WCNC WCNC
updated 1 hour 22 minutes ago

HICKORY, N.C. -- Zahra Baker's stepbrother made his first public statements Tuesday to a crowd of reporters at a candlelight vigil for his missing stepsister.

Douglas Proctor, the 22-year-old son of Elisa Baker, would not answer questions about charges against his mother, the ongoing homicide investigation, or allegations that Elisa Baker abused Zahra. "I can't really comment right now what's going on because I am still learning everything and it's a private matter right now between myself and my family," he said. "To all the people who helped us come out and look the other day, to all the messages that we've received, all the phone calls--it's not gone unnoticed."

He also thanked law enforcement officers investigating the case. "I just want everyone to know that we really appreciate everything and that we're not going to stop looking for Zahra. We'll go as long as it takes."

On Zahra, he said, "I think it would make her happy to see all this, but with that in mind, until anything changes, or we get any more facts, I am not really going to make any more statements."

Proctor personally thanked the pastor of East Hickory Baptist Church where about 300 people gathered on the lawn to pray for Zahra Baker.

Most people who attended--many with children--said they were strangers who'd been touched by the news of her disappearance.

"She lost a leg to cancer, she survived cancer twice," explained a tearful Teresa Brittain, who said she is currently having chemotherapy for cancer. "She was 10 years old, she had her life ahead of her, and we don't even know if it's taken away from her."

Debbie Fogle, whose son was murdered, urged the community to stand-in for Zahra's parents as this investigation unfolds. "This case is different. So I think as a community we need to rally around the child."

Lindsey Parker, a friend of Elisa Baker's biological daughter Brittany, took the microphone to tell the crowd that Brittany had often fought with her mother over Zahra. She and other friends said the Department of Social Services was contacted.

"She was--she is--an absolutely beautiful child. And we don't know anything until she's found or she's found safe, and I pray that she's found safe," said another friend, Milly Humphrey.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39662629/ns/local_news-local_news/

by Ann - Tx on Thu Oct 14, 2010 2:31 am

Wow, this thread has some very informative articles and videos posted!

Thanks Fysty, for the most recent updates. Also, thanks to all who have posted articles, videos, etc. It saves me time in searching each site. I am sure others appreciate your hard work. I sure do!

I noticed Ch 9 in Charlotte has a tab set up for Zahra Baker. Great to use when updating. Here is the Link:

http://www.wsoctv.com/index.html
WSOC Charlotte, NC Home Page

by Piper on Thu Oct 14, 2010 9:20 am

Thanks for posting that link, Ann. I like how they set up the tab for Zahra. The more I read, the more infuriated I become. This child battled cancer and won, she lost her hearing and her leg, but kept on smiling. I can't imagine anyone abusing this child, and her own father standing by and watching. I am just horrified and sickened. Let's hope Zahra is found today.......

by Piper on Thu Oct 14, 2010 4:37 pm

I've been trying to figure out Baker's reasoning behind the ransom note. The note was intended for Mark Coffey, involving his daughter. Mark Coffey is Adam Baker's boss. Mr. Coffey owns the house where Zahra lived, the family was renting it from him.

Elisa Baker wanted LE to think the kidnapper took Zahra by mistake, instead of Mr. Coffey's daughter. Since he owned the house and the note was left at the rental property, where Zahra goes "missing".

by Guest on Thu Oct 14, 2010 5:31 pm

by khintx on Thu Oct 14, 2010 5:43 pm

It makes me sick. kh