ANISTON WALKER - 7 weeks/ Charged: Mother; Andrea Walker - Memphis TN

Mother of missing baby arrested on child abuse, neglect charges

Posted: Jan 10, 2014 7:38 AM CST
Updated: Jan 10, 2014 11:38 AM CST
By WMCTV.com Staff



MEMPHIS, TN -  WMC-TV) - The mother of a 7-week-old reported missing Thursday is charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse and two counts of aggravated child neglect or endangerment.



According to the affidavit of complaint, Andrea Walker, 33, left her 7-week-old baby, Aniston, and a 3-year-old home alone while she took her 5-year-old son to school.  

Police say she returned home 30 minutes later and the baby was missing. She said the house was locked and there was no sign of a break-in.  Two others have a key.

According to police, Walker called Aniston's father, who then called police to report the baby missing.

Before police arrived, Walker reportedly left the 3-year-old alone again as she went looking for the infant.

Also in the affidavit, it states, "Affiant is an experienced homicide investigator and personally observed several hours of interview with defendant, Walker. Based on his experience and age of the child that is missing, Affiant has probable cause to believe the child has sustained serious bodily injury."

Aniston has brown eyes and weighs about 10 pounds. The infant was last seen wearing a brown onesie with football emblems.

Officers combed through construction dumpsters and smaller garbage bins. They even removed bags from the bins in an attempt to find any sign of the baby.

Baby items were hauled out of the house by crime scene technicians. Although police have yet to say whether a crime has been committed.

Aniston Walker has not been found.

Anyone with information should call police at 901-545-2677.

http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/24415179/police-arrest-mother-of-missing-baby-on-child-abuse-neglect-charges?utm_content=bufferd31a8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Investigators focus search on lake behind missing baby's house

Posted: Jan 10, 2014 11:32 AM CST
Updated: Jan 10, 2014 12:00 PM CST
By Kelsey Jacobson

MEMPHIS, TN - (WMC-TV) - Investigators are focusing on a lake behind the house where 7-week-old Aniston Walker was last seen.

Memphis Police Department Director Toney Armstrong revealed information about their investigation during a news conference Friday afternoon.

Director Armstrong confirms they are still searching for the baby, focusing on the area surrounding the house on 5604 Falling Bark Drive in Memphis.

Armstrong says they are also using cadaver dogs and searching a Memphis landfill.

"We just don't want to leave any stone unturned," he said. "So that is just one of the things we're doing to cover all our bases."

Investigators are still working to put together a timeline for when the baby was last seen and when she went missing. They say Aniston's mother, Andrea Walker, 33, is not being as forthcoming as they hoped. Armstrong said she is a suspect.

"Seven-week-old kids don't mysteriously disappear without some circumstances behind it," said Dir. Armstrong. "So, if this was a teenage kid, if this was even a small child, of school age, obviously our hopes would be high. But again, 7-week old children do not have the means of just disappearing."

Armstrong said his team is being meticulous with their search for Aniston Walker.

"As you can imagine with an area such as this, it's going to take us some time," he added. "We're committed to it."

In the meantime, Andrea Walker is charged with aggravated abuse and neglect.

According to the affidavit of complaint, Walker left Aniston home alone with a 3-year-old as she took her 5-year-old son to school.

Police say when she returned home 30 minutes later, she said the baby was missing. The house was locked and there was no sign of a break-in. Two others have the key to her house.

According to police, Walker first called Aniston's father, who then called police to report the baby missing.

Before police arrived, Walker reportedly left the 3-year-old alone again as she went looking for the infant.

Also in the affidavit, it states, "Affiant is an experienced homicide investigator and personally observed several hours of interview with defendant, Walker. Based on his experience and age of the child that is missing, Affiant has probable cause to believe the child has sustained serious bodily injury."

To watch MPD Director Toney Armstrong's news conference in its entirety, click here.

http://www.wmctv.com/story/24417228/investigators-focus-search-on-lake-behind-missing-babys-house

Search For Aniston Walker, Missing Baby, Halted

01/13/14 08:43 AM ET EST

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Police have suspended the search for a missing 7-week-old girl who disappeared under suspicious circumstances in northeast Memphis.

Over the weekend, the Memphis Police Department said the search for Aniston Walker was suspended. It lasted three days. Officers used cadaver dogs near the home where the baby lived with her mother and two siblings, but they had no results.

According to police, the baby's mother, 33-year-old Andrea Walker, said she left the baby at home with her 3-year-old son while she took her 5-year-old son to school Thursday. When she returned, the baby was gone, but the 3-year-old was still in the house.

Walker was due in court Monday morning to be arraigned on charges of aggravated abuse and neglect. Police say they consider her a suspect in the disappearance.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/13/aniston-walker-search-suspended_n_4588431.html?1389624988

Aniston Walker case: Missing baby's mom may be charged with homicide

January 14, 2014

Andrea Walker, the Memphis, Tenn. woman who has been charged with abuse and neglect in connection with the disappearance of her 7-week-old baby, Aniston Walker, expects to be charged with homicide, according to a Jan. 14, 2014 Huffington Post report.

The Post notes WMCTV reported that Walker’s lawyer, Leslie Ballin, said “Even though I’m telling you the charges may at some point be upgraded, do not rush to judgment in this case… This is not Salem, Massachusetts.”

Ballin also believes Walker should not have been charged with abuse and neglect, according to WATE, and the Post reports a motion has been filed requesting the charges be dismissed.

Ballin also argues that the arrest affidavit indicates Walker may have inflicted “serious bodily injury” to Aniston, which the attorney says the police and the prosecution have no evidence of.

Walker, 33, told police she left Aniston with her 3-year-old son at around 11:40 a.m. while taking her 5-year-old child to school.

Aniston was reported missing by her father – who reportedly does not live in the home – on Jan. 9, sometime after Walker returned to the residence.

The quest to find Aniston was called off Jan. 11 because police have made an exhaustive search of where the child could be and “have no other obvious places to look” for her, according to WREG.

During Monday’s court hearing Ballin requested Walker’s bond be dropped from $500,000 to $25,000, WATE reports.

Walker is due back in court on Jan. 21 regarding the motion.

http://www.examiner.com/article/aniston-walker-case-mission-baby-s-mom-may-be-charged-with-homicide

Bond reduced, 1 charge dropped for missing Memphis baby's mom

published Tuesday, January 21st, 2014
AP

MEMPHIS — A judge has reduced bond for a Memphis mother jailed on charges related to the disappearance of her 7-week-old daughter.

General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Chris Turner cut the bond for Andrea Walker from $500,000 to $250,000 during a hearing Tuesday.

Wallker's daughter, Aniston Walker, was reported missing Jan. 9.

Police said Walker told them she left the baby at home with her 3-year-old son while she took her 5-year-old son to school. She said that when she returned home, the baby was gone, but the 3-year-old was still there.

Prosecutors have dropped an aggravated child abuse or neglect charge related to the 3-year-old boy.

Walker remains in jail on an aggravated child abuse or neglect charge in connection with the baby's disappearance. She has pleaded not guilty.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/jan/21/bond-reduced-1-charge-dropped-missing-memphis-baby/

A 7 month old baby cannot just vanish. These murdering moms need to be held - no bail - until they talk.

PDF:   Andrea Walker Affidavit of Complaint

Mom of missing baby posts bond, released from jail

Posted: Feb 06, 2014 2:45 PM CST
Updated: Feb 13, 2014 2:45 PM CST

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (FOX13) - Andrea Walker was released from Shelby County jail Wednesday after posting $250,000 bond. Walker's attorney, Leslie Ballin, said they cannot comment any further.

Memphis Police spokeswoman Sgt. Karen Rudolph says, "there are no updates."

The 33-year-old's bond was previously set at $1 million. Shelby County General Sessions Judge William C. Turner lowered Walker's bail to $250,000 after the county district attorney's office dropped two of the original four charges filed against her in the disappearance of her seven-week-old daughter Aniston.

Baby Aniston disappeared in early January after her mother said she left Aniston and her three-year-old home alone while she took another child, her five-year-old, to school. She then later came home to find Baby Aniston missing.

Memphis Police suspended their search for Baby Aniston after three days until they receive fresh tips.

Read more: http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/24655608/mom-of-missing-baby-posts-bond-released-from-jail#ixzz2tapdW2m2

Body of baby found at Jones Orchard in Millington

Posted: Feb 16, 2014 4:25 PM CST
Updated: Feb 17, 2014 9:13 AM CST

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (FOX13) - The Millington and Memphis Police Departments are investigating the death of a baby.

Police received a call at 12:14 pm Sunday after a motorcycle rider passing through the area found the body near Jones Orchard, off of Singleton Parkway in Millington.

Police are not releasing the gender of the baby, but the baby is less than a year-old and has been there 'for some time,' according to the Millington Police Chief.

The race of the child cannot be determined at this time.

"It's very horrible, the worst I've seen in years," Inspector Charlie Coleman of Millington PD said.

On any given week in the summer, you could find Jones Orchard filled with children and their families picking fruit and going through the corn maze.

But Sunday a grisly discovery was found near the front entrance.

"At about 12:14pm, we received a call from a citizen in regards to an infant body found on Singleton Parkway in front of Jones Orchard," Millington Police Chief Rita Stanback said.

Police say a motorcyclist passing by found the body by chance.

"He was out riding a motorcycle, he was waiting on friends, he just happened to pull over to the side of the road and that just happened to be the spot he pulled over," Chief Stanback said.

With the orchard closed for the season, it's a discovery that may not have happened for several more months.

The child was wearing just a onesie and was less than a year old. Police couldn't say the race or gender.

"I will say it seems like the body's been there for some time," Chief Stanback said.

For hours, police and forensics investigators swarmed the area, looking for clues.

The first thought on nearly everyone's mind, if this could be linked to seven-week old Aniston Walker who went missing in January.

"That's exactly why I called Memphis because they were working a missing infant so that's why I thought to call them first," Chief Stanback said, "Memphis Police are on the scene just in case this is the baby that is missing missing."

Memphis Police were called to the scene immediately because of an open missing baby investigation they're currently working. Police say they're unsure if this is related to missing baby Aniston Walker who Memphis Police have been searching for since January.

Baby Aniston was reported missing from her Northeast Memphis home, and her 33-year old mother, Andrea Walker, was charged with aggravated child abuse and aggravated neglect or endangerment. The baby was never found and her mother has since been released from jail on $250,000 bond.

"Everything is pending until we find out if it is the baby we're all thinking about," Inspector Charlie Coleman of Millington PD said, "We don't know that yet so everything is still up in the air."

Police say they are waiting to hear back from the Shelby County Medical Examiner before making any conclusions. The Shelby County Medical Examiner's Office will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death of the baby found at Jones Orchard.

Stay with FOX13 News on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates on this story.

Read more: http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/24739407/body-of-baby-found-in-jones-orchard-in-millington#ixzz2tapt2mNW

Andrea Walker to meet with MPD today

Posted: Feb 17, 2014 9:01 AM CST
Updated: Feb 17, 2014 9:13 AM CST

One day after the body of a baby was found in a ditch near Jones' Orchard in Millington, the mother of a missing baby will talk to Memphis Police.

Andrea Walker's attorney tells FOX13 his client will speak to police today after that body was found yesterday.

Walker's daughter, Aniston was reported missing back in January. Walker is charged with aggravated child abuse in the case. Walker told police she left the 7 week old home alone with another young child so she could take a third child to school.

On Sunday, a motorcyclist discovered the body of a baby in a ditch off Singleton Parkway in Millington. The body is now at the Shelby County Medical Examiner's office. Police have not said if the baby is a boy or girl or exactly how old.

Read more: http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/24742824/andrea-walker-to-meet-with-mpd-today#ixzz2taqCAgRf
Follow us: @myfoxmemphis on Twitter | fox13news.myfoxmemphis on Facebook

Baby found in ditch by motorcyclist confirmed to be Aniston Walker
Posted: Feb 17, 2014 3:08 PM EST Updated: Feb 17, 2014 11:28 PM EST MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC-TV) - Police confirmed Monday that Aniston Walker, who went missing on January 9, is the baby found dead in a ditch by a motorcyclist. She was just 7 weeks old at the time of her disappearance.

According to Memphis Police Department, the body was found at 12:16 p.m. Sunday a few feet from a culvert. The physical description and clothing matched those of baby Aniston. Millington police immediately contacted MPD investigators, who determined the baby's identity.

"I would say that it seems like the body has been there for some time," Millington Police Chief Rita Stanback said after the body was discovered. "It's less than a year old, wearing a onsie."

Aniston's mother, Andrea Walker, 33, is charged with first-degree murder. She surrendered herself to authorities Monday morning, according to her defense attorney, Leslie Ballin.

When Aniston's father first reported her missing, Andrea told police she had left the baby home with a 3-year-old as she dropped her 5-year-old son off at school. When she returned, she said Aniston was gone.

Following that report, Andrea was arrested on aggravated child abuse and neglect charges. She was released from jail on February 6 after posting bond.

Investigators wanted to interview Andrea Walker Monday morning, but she declined.

"At this time, she's not going to make that statement. At the appropriate time, once our investigation has progressed some, she will decide at her trial or at any hearings in the future if it's appropriate for her to make a statement," said Ballin.

The discovery of Aniston's body ends a search that lasted more than one month.

"You know, this is a trying scene for everybody," said Stanback. "I'm a grandmother myself and this is something that is very difficult to deal with."

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong credited investigators for their long hours of work on this case, adding:

"It is heartbreaking to confirm that an innocent child's life has been taken, but now family members of Aniston Walker can have closure and begin the healing process of losing a loved one."

Action News 5 talked with the motorcycle rider who found baby Aniston's body. He stopped by Jones Orchard to wait for friends Sunday afternoon on Singleton Parkway.

He was emotional and said it was very disturbing to find the baby's body. He did not want to talk on camera.

The infant's body was found about 11 miles from Walker's home. Investigators say Aniston's body lying face down in the ditch showed signs of having been in there for quite some time.

Strangers dropped off teddy bears an flowers at the site.

http://www.wnem.com/story/24745313/baby-found-in-ditch-is-confirmed-to-be-aniston-walker

  

Memphis mom charged with murdering 7-week-old baby after body is found in a ditch
A motorcyclist found the body of little Aniston Walker on Sunday after the baby went missing on Jan. 9. Mother Andrea Walker, 33, turned herself in to cops after the body was discovered.

By Sasha Goldstein / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, February 17, 2014, 11:00 PM

Excerpt:

A Memphis mom was cuffed Monday after her missing weeks-old baby was found dead in a ditch.

Andrea Walker, 33, is charged with first-degree murder after little Aniston, wearing the same onesie she wore when she went missing Jan. 9, was discovered 11 miles away from her home face down in a desolate ditch in Millington, Tenn., WMC-TV reported.

"I would say that it seems like the body has been there for some time," Millington Police Chief Rita Stanback told the TV station. "It's less than a year old, wearing a onesie."

It’s a tragic conclusion to an already heartbreaking tale.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/memphis-mom-charged-murdering-7-week-old-baby-article-1.1617877#ixzz2tgQAOmzh

"Tragic: Aniston Walker was just seven weeks old when authorities say her mother, Andrea Walker, murdered her."


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2561721/Mother-missing-7-week-old-dead-ditch-charged-murder-infants-death.html

She was a cute little angel.  Just breaks my heart.  William

I hope the bitch doesn't get bail this time.  She needs to rot in prison.

She should have to pay for the searches for her murdered baby with her bond money.

Intentional violence caused baby Aniston Walker's death, rules medical examiner

Posted: Apr 14, 2014 4:04 PM CDT
Updated: Apr 15, 2014 10:48 PM CDT
By Ashli Blow

(WMC-TV) - On a warm day in February, a motorcyclist pulled over next to an orchard's closed fruits and vegetables stand to smoke a cigarette. That is when he found an infant face down in a ditch, and investigators suspected homicide in the case of Aniston Walker.

The Shelby County Medical examiner ruled baby Aniston Walker's cause of death as homicidal violence, which means she was intentionally killed.

"In my opinion, this death resulted from intentional violence of undetermined type. The manner of death is homicide," wrote medical examiner Karen E. Chancellor in an autopsy report released Monday. "Internal examination reveals no evidence of injuries or disease the would result in death."

The report did not reveal the violence that could have killed Aniston, but it gave factors that did not contribute to her death—no broken bones, negative for drugs in her system, a head injury was not found.

Authorities charged Andrea Walker, 33, with first-degree murder after the disappearance and death of her daughter, who went missing at seven weeks old in early January. Police first arrested Andrea, who remains in jail, on abuse-related charges when a city watch was released for her daughter in January.

Investigators could find no trace of the child during a thorough three-day search; nearly a month after officials called it off, the motorcyclist made the somber discovery.

"It is heartbreaking to confirm that an innocent child's life has been taken, but now family members of Aniston Walker can have closure and begin the healing process of losing a loved one," said Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong after Aniston's body was found 11 miles from the Walker's home.

Strangers dropped off teddy bears, pinwheels, and plaques at the gate of Millington's Jones Orchard. The makeshift memorial grew for weeks in Aniston's memory.

http://www.wmctv.com/story/25244407/baby-aniston-walkers-death-ruled-as-homicidal-violence

Attorney weighs in after release of baby Aniston Walker's autopsy

Posted: Apr 14, 2014 7:05 PM CDT
Updated: Apr 14, 2014 10:44 PM CDT
By WMCTV.com Staff

MEMPHIS, TN - WWMC-TV) - Intentional violence was determined to be the cause of death for baby Aniston Walker, according to the autopsy released Monday. However, it is what the report did not find that is raising questions.

The case is unusual and may be a tough one for prosecutors. The autopsy report does not say how baby Aniston Walker died.

Aniston's mother, Andrea Walker, was not talking to reporters after her arrest in February; she is charged with first-degree murder with aggravated child neglect, abuse and endangerment in the death of her 7-week-old daughter. The autopsy says Aniston died due to homicidal violence, which means she was intentionally killed.

Leslie Ballin, Walker's attorney, sees problems with the charges against his client because of what the autopsy did not find.

"Yeah that could be, but that's not a fact," said Ballin

The autopsy does not indicate what kind of violence caused the infant's death. It shows Aniston had no broken bones or head injuries, no evidence of disease or internal injuries.

"To me, it's death by unknown causes," added Ballin.

Andrea Walker told investigators she left the infant with her 3-year-old son while she took her five-year-old son to school. When she got back, Aniston was gone. Her body was discovered by a motorcyclist six weeks later in a ditch in Millington, 11 miles from Walker's home.

The autopsy showed the body had been in the watery ditch for some time. Leslie Ballin says there is no evidence of an unnatural death.

"Do we have a homicide or do we have an improper disposal of a body. That comes to my mind," said Ballin.

Prosecutors still must present their case before a Shelby County grand jury and say they are going forward with their first-degree murder case

Andrea Walker is behind bars and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 28.

http://www.wmctv.com/story/25246058/attornies

Andrea Walker Indicted For Murder Of Daughter

Posted on: 3:27 pm, May 15, 2014
updated on: 03:29pm, May 15, 2014
by George Brown

VIDEO

(Memphis) Andrea Walker has been indicted for the murder of her 7-week-old daughter Aniston.

Originally, Walker reported her daughter disappeared after she left her home alone with a 3-year-old sibling.

The body of Aniston Walker was found in a ditch in Millington several weeks later.

Walker, 34, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse or aggravated child neglect or endangerment.

She also was indicted on charges of aggravated child abuse involving neglect or endangerment of a child under age eight, aggravated child abuse and abuse of a corpse.

According to state law, Walker could face the death penalty, life in prison, or life with parole.

http://wreg.com/2014/05/15/andrea-walker-indicted-for-murder-of-daughter/