SHANNON DEDRICK - 7 months - Chipley FL

Officials in Florida's Panhandle are looking for a 7-month-old baby who
disappeared from a Chipley home and that they are considering
endangered.The Washington County Sheriff's Office said Shannon Lea Dedrick disappeared from a home about 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The
child was reported missing by the parents and an active search is under
way in the Brown Street area of Chipley. Search and rescue teams from
Bay, Gulf, Jackson and Liberty counties are assisting in the search,
was well as the Graceville Police Department.Washington County
Sheriff Bobby Haddock told the Panama City News Herald that nothing at
this time makes them think the baby was abducted, but she "didn’t crawl
or walk away."The girl is 2 feet tall, weighs 11 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.Late Sunday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a statewide alert for the child.Anyone with information about the child is asked to call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 850-638-6111.

There is a endangered missing child alert Monday morning in north Florida.The Florida Department Of Law Enforcement has issued a missing child alert for Shannon Dedrick, 7 months old.Dedrick's
parents told officials that Dedrick was last seen Saturday morning
around 11:30 a.m. at her home in Chipley, which is in Washington County.The baby is described as a white, with brown hair, blue eyes, approximately 2 feet tall and weighing 11 pounds.Law enforcement said that Dedrick did not crawl away, but they also have no evidence the girl had been abducted.Officials
said search and rescue teams from Bay, Liberty, and Gulf Counties are
assisting in the search. They are also receiving assistance from the
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Graceville Police Department.If you have seen her, call the Washington County Sheriff's Office at (850) 638-6111.

On Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 11:23 a.m. the Washington County
Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to a missing child.
Shannon Lea Dedrick, 7 month old white female, 11 lbs in weight, 24
inches in height was reported missing by her parents from their home at
793C Brown Street in Chipley. Shannon was believed to have gone
missing between 3:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Deputies responded to the
home and within minutes both FDLE and Bay County Sheriff’s Office were
brought in to assist. A Child is Missing was alerted and initiated
approximately 1300 calls to residents in the area and the area of
notification has been expanded as needed.

Approximately 75 search and rescue personnel from Liberty, Gulf and
Bay County as well as K-9 teams and volunteers from local fire
departments have worked an extensive ground search effort which was
activated non-stop from the time of the initial call through Sunday at
approximately 1:30 a.m. It resumed again Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and is
ongoing at this time. The arm to arm ground search has covered
approximately a ½ mile radius around the home and deputies are
expanding that area each hour. Investigators with Washington County
Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of investigators with FDLE, Bay
County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Chipley
Police Department, Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and Graceville Police
Department are currently working an investigation into any and all
leads at this time.

“We would like to thank those who have contacted law enforcement
officers with tips in reference to baby Shannon” states Sheriff
Haddock. “All tips are being thoroughly investigated and I would ask
that you continue to contact our office at 638.6111 if you have any
information concerning this missing child.”

Poster's Note: I disagree with LE's decision to "upgrade" this case to an Amber Alert. From what I can gather in this case (and God only knows we have seen it before) they have already interviewed the people responsible for this child being missing.
Nonetheless, I will move the topic to the AMBER ALERT FORUM for the time being.

Shannon Dedrick of Chipley was reported missing Saturday morning
around 11:30. A missing child alert was put out by the Florida
Department of Law Enforcement last night (Sunday).

At a news conference this afternoon Sheriff Bobby Haddock said he could give the name of possible suspect at this time.

We did learn that the last time Shannon was seen was in her parents’
bedroom before they went to sleep. And while authorities aren’t saying
much right now… neighbors who who helped search for Shannon are talking
about her disappearance.

“I just hope the baby’s alive, really,” says Tanya Wilt, a neighbor.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says Shannon disappeared
sometime between 3:00 a-m and 11:00 a-m Saturday morning. Most
residents didn’t see anything suspicious, but one neighbor mentions
seeing a van pull into the driveway.

It wasn’t until later that morning that they knew something was
wrong when Shannon’s mother… who they say normally keeps to herself…
came to their doors. Wilt says that “she come and knocked on our door
at around 11 or 11:15 in the morning and she said ‘did y’all hear
anybody pull up in our driveway?’ and I said ‘no, why’ and she said
‘cause my baby’s gone’ and I’m like ‘what do you mean your baby’s
gone?’!”

Neighbors then helped Shannon’s mother search their mobile home. And
after the search they called to report seven-month-old Shannon
missing. According to Wilt “We walked over the three of us together
and I’m like ‘are you sure your baby’s gone’ cause the house…it could
have been in there somewhere. And we walked through and there was no
baby.”

Neighbors say a short time after the report was filed the driveway was packed with police cars.

Officers with the FDLE, Gulf, Franklin, Bay and Holmes County
Sheriff’s Offices are assisting in the case as well as deputies with
the Graceville and Chipley Police Departments.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is following up on the many tips they are receiving about the case.

If you have any information contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 638-6311.

Washington County Sheriff Bobby
Haddock confirmed that there is a “person of interest” in the
disappearance of 7-month old Shannon Lea Dedrick some time Saturday.
Aside from shooting down rumors, however, Haddock gave little new
information about the case.
Haddock also said that Internet rumors that the mother had confessed
to burying the baby were not true, and there was no search underway at
the old landfill on South Boulevard. The site is being used for the
various search teams participating in the hunt for the missing child.
Haddock said the two adults living at 793C Brown Street have been
interviewed but he would go into any specifics about what investigators
learned. Haddock also refused to release the names of the adults or
release the name of the person of interest.
Haddock said the adults had no police records, and declined to say
if they had been investigated by the Department of Children and
Families.
Haddock said the department received word at about 11:30 a.m.
Saturday that the baby was missing, and the adults said she went
missing between 3 a.m. when they went to bed and 11 a.m. when they woke
up. Search dogs from Chattahoochie State Hospital and Gulf Correctional
Institution were sent out first and then a “fingertip-to-fingertip”
search was initiated of the 500-600-foot wooded area near the home.
The word also went out to the “child is Missing” Network. “Within
minutes 1,300 people in Chipley were alerted,” he said. Florida
Department of Law Enforcement’s Team Adam that works with the National
Center for Missing and Endangered Children also joined the search.

Authorities are continuing their search for a missing Chipley girl.
7-month-old Shannon Dedrick disappeared from her parents home on Brown Street on Saturday morning.
Several agencies have joined in the search efforts, which has continued around-the-clock.
Authorities are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
Search
and rescue teams scoured several areas near the Dedricks home on Brown
Street, checking abandoned homes, wooded areas and trash bins on
Tuesday.
"The ground search is the primary, we have dumpster dove
every dumpster in the city limits of Chipley, we have turned over every
garbage can and taken it apart in that area and any leads we might get
that lead us in the city limits of Chipley and Washington County we're
following up on," says Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock.
Authorities say 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick disappeared between the hours of 3am to 11am on Saturday morning.
They say she was last seen in the custody of her parents at their Brown Street home in Chipley.
Lisa Blaylock and Tanya Wilt live next to the Dedricks and recall how
Shannon's mother first approached them about her disappearance.
"She's like 'have you guys seen anybody pull in our driveway today?'"
"We're like, 'no, why?'"
"Cause my baby's missing...at first we thought it was a joke but just
as plain as I'm saying it to you, just 'my baby's missing.'"
Both women say Shannon's father was very upset about her disappearance but the mother didn't seem to be.
"Very happy baby, never cried, they've lived there two months, we've
never heard the baby cry on time. It's just very sad, very, very sad."
There are reports that the mother allegedly confessed to killing the baby and burying her in the woods near a landfill.
But authorities won't confirm those stories.
"We're not going to go into specifics about what she may or may not
have said or not said but we're not doing any digging at the old
landfill. The old landfill now is being a staging area for the ground
teams."
Authorities say they do have a person of suspicion but would not elaborate on any details or if Shannon was abducted.
"We're not ruling that out but at this time, we don't have that
indicator that we have an abduction. But we can't say that we're
positive that's not happened."
Haddock also refused to comment on
whether or not he believed Shannon was still alive, only saying they
are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
And so are her neighbors.
"I just hope she's alive."
"That's our only hope. Before it was for the parents' comfort, now we just hope the baby's ok."
Shannon Dedrick is about 24 inches tall and weighs about 11 pounds.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office at (850)-638-6111.

Choppers circled for hours
high-above-the-sky on Tuesday, hoping to find anything that would lead
them to seven-month-old Shannon Dedrick.
On the ground, several different teams combed through debris, others used search dogs, some searched on horseback.
"It's kinda scary, whether it's family or a friend involved, it really
doesn't matter, it's just the fact that it happened and nobody even
knows yet so it's really scary," says Lisa France, a Chipley resident.
There are still many unanswered questions surrounding Shannon Dedrick's
disappearance. Investigators say she disappeared from her Brown Street
home between the hours of 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday.
She was last seen in the custody of her parents, Christina Mercer and Rusty Dedrick.
We spoke with Shannon's great aunt, Lynda Padgett, who says they have also been left in the dark about what's happening.
"The clock is ticking away and she's just an innocent little child who you know, just deserves better."
Padgett says both parents suffer from mental issues.
She also says she's not sure if Christina would hurt Shannon.
"I think if Tina did something then she was definitely not in her right
mind when she did it. I really can't say that I think or don't think
that she's capable of it."
But some people believe it is possible. "Not the father, I wouldn't think the father, no, not at all."
"He's too heartbroken and distraught. I wouldn't know what to say about the
mom but not the father," says Mike Blaylock, a neighbor.
There are many stories circulating around about whether or not Shannon's
mother or father may have been involved in her disappearance.
But authorities are not confirming any of it or their person of suspicion at this time.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 638-6111.

Authorities confirmed Wednesday they were investigating whether a
26-year-old missing child case in South Carolina is related to the
disappearance of 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick from her family's trailer
near the woods.
On the fourth day of the search for her, the investigation continued
to include baby sitter Susan Baker, who said Tuesday in a News Herald
interview she "loved that child" and tried to have the state intervene
with the family. Baker also supplied an e-mail she sent to Gov. Charlie
Crist pleading that someone help Shannon, whom she said was being
abused by her parents.
Washington County sheriff's investigators are now working to
determine whether she was the same Susan Baker implicated in a 1987
missing-child case in Beaufort, S.C. That child, then-6-year-old Paul
Baker, never has been found.
A woman who said she was Susan Baker's niece confirmed she was the
same woman. But that arrest, according to niece Tabatha Phillips, was
"on a technicality" and Baker was innocent.
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided this synopsis of the 1987 case:
"(Paul) Baker was living with his father and stepmother, James and
Susan Baker at the time of his disappearance. They have been arrested
in connection with his disappearance. They were charged with assault
and battery of a high and aggravated nature for allegedly beating him
before he vanished March 5, 1987.

"Susan Baker told police she
put him down for a nap that day and returned to find him missing.
Deputies and police searched the area around their home for several
days but found no trace of the little boy.

"After the
disappearance, the couple's 6-year-old daughter was removed by state
social workers who discovered broken bones and sores on her body.

"Susan
Baker was convicted for beating the girl and sentenced to 10 years in
prison for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Paul
has never been found."
Investigators were in briefings Wednesday morning. Spokeswoman
Andrea Gainey said Baker was one of hundreds interviewed, that the
Sheriff's Office was aware of the similarities in Dedrick's
disappearance and the 1987 case, and that the person of interest still
was not public information.
Phillips wrote Wednesday morning on her Twitter page that she "knows the POI is the one who cared the most."
Later, in a phone interview, she said, "Susan would not hurt a child."
"That's the
only reason they're putting her as a person of interest now is because
of all of that crap that happened way back when," Phillips said.
"They need to start asking (the mother) where the child is," she said. "She's the one that put it somewhere."

Washington
County court records show a 2004 case labeled "67-04-DR-177/FIN JUD OF
MARRIAGE" between a Susan and James Baker. Court records also show a
mortgage for Susan and James Baker for a piece of property at 3395
Orange Hill Road, the same address cited in the e-mail to Crist.
Baker did not immediately return a phone messages.
A sheriff's
investigator in Beaufort, S.C., briefly returned a phone call on the
cold case but hung up soon after, saying he was in a meeting.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has announced a $10,000
reward in the case of seven-month-old missing child Shannon Lea
Dedrick. The reward is offered for information regarding the
whereabouts of the child.
“I encourage anyone who may have knowledge about Shannon’s
whereabouts or the circumstances of her disappearance to call us,” said
Sheriff Bobby Haddock. “We encourage members of our community to pass
on any and all information that could help this investigation.”
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 850-638-6111.
Shannon Lea Dedrick was reported missing by her parents, Crystina
Lynn Mercer and James Dedrick, on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 11:23 a.m. from
her home at 793C Brown Street in Chipley. She is 11 lbs. in weight and
24 inches in height. She is believed to have gone missing between 3
a.m. and 11 a.m.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is providing assistance in the investigation.

Florida authorities have found a missing baby alive under her baby sitter's bed and say they're planning to charge the baby sitter, her husband and the child's mother.

Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said early Thursday that investigators found 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick in a box at Susan Elizabeth Baker's home near Chipley, a rural Panhandle town. The child had been missing for five days.
Haddock said deputies are working to charge Baker, James Arthur Baker and Chrystina Lynn Mercer. Haddock wouldn't provide details. He said more information would be released soon.
Her parents reported Shannon missing Saturday afternoon. Haddock said authorities don't believe the father was involved. He said Susan Baker and the father are related.

A 7-month-old Florida girl missing
for five days was found alive in a box hidden under her baby sitter's
bed late Wednesday and authorities say they'll charge the sitter, her
husband and the infant's mother.
Babysitter Susan Elizabeth Baker, 50, already is suspected along with her
husband James in the 1987 disappearance of her 3-year-old stepson Paul,
who was never found. The Bakers and baby Shannon Dedrick's mother
Chrystina Lynn Mercer were detained and all will likely be charged in
the incident.
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock called an unusual 1 a.m. press conference Thursday and
told reporters he had "good news." He then went to another room with
television cameras rolling and came back holding Shannon in his arms. People applauded.
"We are the proud papas of a little girl," Haddock announced. "This is Shannon Lee Dedrick. We found her safe."
Investigators discovered Shannon at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday in a box tucked under a bed
surrounded by items intended to hide the little girl at the Bakers'
home near the rural Panhandle town of Chipley, the sheriff said.
The baby was placed in protective custody.
"Statistically speaking this should not have ever happened, that we found this child
alive, especially after so many days. Time was against us," Haddock
said.
Shannon was taken to a hospital but appeared healthy, according to Haddock.
"It was very emotional for us, because once we got her to the hospital, we
called our wives and every one of us was crying. Grown men crying. It's
just such a relief," he said. "We've had missing children cases in the
past, but nothing like this."
Haddock wouldn't provide details about the possible charges against Susan
Baker, James Arthur Baker and Mercer or say how they believe the mother
was involved.
More information will be released later
Thursday, he said. Authorities don't believe the child's father, James
Russell Dedrick Jr., — who is related to Susan Baker — was involved but
the case is still under investigation.
He confirmed that Baker wrote an e-mail to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's
office in August, pleading for the governor to help Shannon Dedrick.
"And my response is, 'We saved the child, Ms. Baker,'" Haddock said.
Court documents released Wednesday showed that child welfare workers in
Florida began looking into allegations Shannon was being abused less
than two weeks after she was born.
Her parents reported her missing around 11 a.m. Saturday. They told authorities that they had not seen her since about 3 a.m.
About 100 law enforcement agents and others scoured the woods around the
couple's home, Haddock said. Investigators contacted the Bakers again
on Wednesday and they allowed them into their home, according to the
sheriff.
"They gave us consent to search
the home and (we) found the baby in a box under a bed, with stuff
pushed around the box to hide the baby," he said.
Investigators frequently went to the infant's home from August to late September and
reported that both parents used marijuana and kept a messy home.
But investigators reported that Shannon seemed to be cared for and
repeatedly noted that the risk to the baby was "intermediate."
In September, an investigator said a physician determined that the child
was healthy and expressed "no concerns regarding the baby."
Court records show that Susan Baker was charged in South Carolina in the 1987
beating of Paul's 6-year-old sister. The charges included assault and
battery with intent to kill and assault and battery of a high and
aggravated nature.
Baker was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison, but it was reduced to only 80 days.
She was then extradited to South Carolina from Chipley in 2000, and charged
in the disappearance of 3-year-old Paul Leonard Baker, who has been
missing since March 1987.
Baker wasn't indicted by a grand jury in the case.
The child was never found, according to the Beaufort County, S.C.,
sheriff's office. Susan Baker claimed the toddler disappeared while she
was sleeping, according to the News Herald.
Police reports don't indicate the child's possible relation, but the newspaper
reported that Paul is James Baker's son and Susan Baker's stepson.
A sheriff's investigator from Beaufort County was sent to Florida to
assist in the missing child case, spokeswoman Robin McIntosh said
Wednesday.
Shannon's grandmother Kandis Boyer told the News Herald that she left her Texas home at 6 a.m.
Tuesday with her two daughters and drove to Chipley.
“We’re taking this one step at a time,” Boyer told the paper. “The main focus
is on Shannon. Thank God for bringing my granddaughter to safety.”