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.”

7 months old and they went eight hours without checking on this baby?!?!?! WTheck!?!?!?
I get a feeling this is not gonna turn out good.........Thanks TOM.

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.

CHIPLEY, Fla. -- Florida child
welfare workers began investigating allegations of abuse against a
missing infant less than two weeks after she was born, according to
records released Wednesday as the search continued. Search teams
have spent days searching for 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick in the wooded
area surrounding the family's mobile home outside of Chipley, a rural
Panhandle town. The girl was reported missing around 11 a.m. Saturday.
Her parents have said they last saw her around 3 a.m. Florida's
Department of Children and Families released records Wednesday showing
investigators frequently visited the infant's home from August to late
September. They reported that both of the parents used marijuana and
the home was messy. But the investigators said the baby appeared to be cared for. The risk to the child was repeatedly listed as "intermediate."
On Sept. 18 an investigator said a physician had determined Shannon was
healthy and had "expressed no concerns regarding the baby."

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.”

Two people will be charged in
the disappearance and safe return of 7-month-old Shannon Lee Dedrick.
The child’s mother Crystal Mercer, and her aunt, Susan Baker, face
arraignment for multiple charges at 3 p.m. Thursday at Washington
County Courthouse.
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said that Baker’s husband,
James Baker, has been released from custody but remains under
investigation.
Mercer’s charges include interference in child custody, a
third-degree felony; false report regarding a missing child, a
first-degree misdemeanor; false report of a crime, a first-degree
misdemeanor; and contributing to the delinquency of a child, a
first-degree misdemeanor.
Baker is charged with neglect of a child with aggravated
circumstances, a second-degree felony; interference in child custody;
false report regarding a missing child; false report of a crime; and
contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Haddock gave more details on the timeline involving the case that
led to a 4-day manhunt involving some 100 searchers that ended at 9:55
p.m. Wednesday when Shannon was found under Baker’s bed in a 2x4 cedar
box.
“She was in good health,” Haddock said. Investigator Kenny Brock
found the child as investigators searched every inch of the singlewide
trailer on Orange Hill Highway beginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
“Baker gave consent to search and as soon as we found the baby we issued a search warrant,” Haddock said.
Based on evidence obtained so far Haddock said that the baby was
turned over to Baker at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. A 911 call
that the baby was missing was received at 11:23 a.m. and the search was
launched immediately.
Baker had emailed Gov. Charlie Crist urging the state to take action
to ensure the health and safety of Shannon. Baker’s 6-year-old son
disappeared in Beaufort, SC in 1987 and has not been found.
Haddock said that investigation has not yet revealed a motive in the case.

The search for 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick may have ended on a happy note Wednesday night in Chipley.
But the legal problems for one of the suspects are just beginning.
Beaufort, South Carolina authorities are reopening the 1987 disappearance case of 3-year-old Paul Baker.
Babysitter Susan Baker has been a suspect for a number of years.
Baker's family still doesn't believe she's guilty of either crime.
The arrest of Shannon Dedrick's mother, Crystina Mercer and her babysitter,
Susan Baker, has left many people in the Chipley community in shock.
Several people still can't believe the two are responsible for her disappearance, including members of Baker's family.
"I couldn't hardly believe it. I thought she was a good person."
Baker's half-sister, Donna Shirley, says she talked to Susan several
times during Shannon's disappearance and never sensed she had anything
to do with it.
"Matter of fact, Susan seemed like she was real upset about it."
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock confirmed Baker was not only Shannon's babysitter, but also her aunt.
Her sister-in-law, Valerie Shirley, still believes she's innocent.
"I believe she was framed. I believe Tina set her up on that."
Mercer and Baker are facing a long list of criminal charges for their involvement in her disappearance.
In addition to that, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office sent an
investigator down to Chipley to see if there was any new evidence to
link Susan Baker to the 1987 disappearance of Paul Baker.
Susan was the boy's babysitter and married his dad, James, after he divorced his first wife.
She claims she put paul down for a nap, only to come back and find him missing.
South Carolina authorities have never been able to find Paul Baker.
Susan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing the couple's daughter but was later released.
"Sue's not a violent person at all, I've known her for probably 40 years now," says her half-brother James Shirley.
"She wouldn't hurt nobody. Not a child, nobody."
Despite what has happened, Baker's family members say they will still stand behind her.
"She's still my sister and I love her." We spoke to Susan Baker's husband, James, late this afternoon.
He says he had no idea baby Shannon was inside the house the entire time.
Both women refused interview requests.

When Florida’s Department of Children and Families took custody of
Shannon Lee Dedrick this week, they already were very familiar with the
infant and her family. The family had been under their eye almost since
her March 11 birth.
Shannon’s mother, Crystina Lynn Mercer, her father, James Dedrick,
and other household members were the subject of an investigation that
began March 23 after the agency received a complaint on its Florida
Abuse Hotline. The complainant, whose name has not been released, said
Mercer was “emotionally handicapped, bipolar” and was “always looking
for places to dump Shannon off,” according to a review of DCF’s actions
in the case that was released by DCF earlier this week.
Mercer, 25, reported Shannon missing last Saturday but, according to
investigators, she had given the baby to Susan Baker, 50, the child’s
baby sitter and stepaunt, and a suspect in the disappearance of her own
stepson 22 years ago. The baby was found by the Washington County
Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday night stuffed in a box under a bed in
Baker’s home. Baker’s stepson was never found.
Baker was charged with aggravated child abuse and is being held on a
$125,000 bond on the latest case. Mercer was charged with deserting a
child and is being held on a $75,000 bond. Both faced additional counts
of interference with child custody, filing a false missing child
report, filing a false report of a crime and contributing to the
dependency (not delinquency, according to the judge at the women’s
arraignments) of a child.
Shannon is “safe and doing well,” Barbara Ash, a DCF spokeswoman,
said Friday. She cited privacy concerns and declined to say who had
custody of the baby. Shannon’s grandmother (Mercer’s mother), Kandis
Boyer, said the baby is still in the custody of Florida’s Department of
Children and Families. She added that she supports her daughter.
Boyer said she is determined to gain custody of Shannon.
“This isn’t over yet,” she said. “It might be a long battle but we’re here till the end.”
Washington County sheriff’s officials said Friday morning they would
comply with Florida’s public records law and release reports, 911 calls
and other documents about the case. But by late Friday afternoon, no
one was an-swering the phone at the Sheriff’s Office and it had not
released the documents.
DCF involvement
When investigators questioned the adults in Shannon’s home following
the initial complaint earlier this year, they all said they did not
smoke marijuana or cigarettes around the baby. However, Mercer and
Dedrick did admit to smoking marijuana and tested positive for the
substance in a urinalysis, investigators wrote. The investigators noted
that the home was “messy but not hazardous” and that the family had
baby formula, Shannon was dressed appropriately and did not have any
scars or bruises. Officials also noted that Healthy Start, Social
Security and the Women, Infants and Children programs already were
involved in the family’s life.
The investigators asked Mercer and Dedrick to join a substance abuse
evaluation and prevention program and they agreed to cooperate. The
investigators determined the baby’s risk level was “intermediate” and
left the baby in Mercer and Dedrick’s custody, officials wrote.
Government officials checked on the situation March 25, March 36, April
15, April 22, May 13 and May 15 and each time determined that Shannon
was at risk level of “intermedi-ate.”
On Aug. 12, investigators responded to a complaint someone had
shaken the baby. All of the family members denied shaking the baby and
Shannon smiled at everyone in the house and would often smile
“spontaneously and responsively.” Government representatives then
checked on the family Aug. 13, 14, 17, 24 and Sept. 3, 8, 10 and 14.
DCF officials are tasked with trying to keep families together
unless the children have been physically, mentally or sexually abused,
neglected or threatened with harm, according to the agency’s Web site.
“It really is important for children to be with their families,” Ash
said. “So what we’re really trying to focus on is giving the family
services, whether it’s mental health, substance abuse treatment or
parenting skills.”
Investigators have certain things that they look for when
determining if a child should be removed from a home but each case is
taken on an individual basis, Ash said.
“Our primary focus is keeping children safe and protecting them,”
Ash said. “If we can, we want to keep the families together.” If
investigators believed the child was in danger, Ash said, they would
have taken her from the family during an earlier investigation.

The story of 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick captured the nation's attention last week.
While her safe rescue was a happy event, the story does not yet have a happy ending. A custody battle is now underway.
"My little girl is the sweetest thing that ever walked, well, crawled right
now. I love her to death and I'll do anything for her," says Rusty
Dedrick, Shannon's father.
Rusty says Shannon's arrival earlier this year was a surprise. But he couldn't wait for her to arrive.
"I got all giddy, excited, I was gonna be a dad for the first time."'
He says he quickly became attached to the baby, and it's been difficult
for him not to see her everyday. That's why he's fighting for custody.
"She's my little blessing."
Dedrick is fighting Kandis Boyer for custody. Boyer is Shannon's grandmother.
Her daughter, Crystina Mercer is Shannon's mother. Mercer is facing
charges for allegedly lying to police.
She reported Shannon missing on Halloween morning, but police say she gave
the baby to babysitter Susan Baker. Baker is also facing charges.
Boyer did not return our calls for an interview.
During a Tuesday morning hearing, Rusty 'consented to dependency', agreeing to
follow a Department of Children and Family case plan.
Dedrick's sister, Rebecca Padgett, says he has a tough battle, trying to get his life on track.
"It's just starting for us I believe, knowing she was safe and everything but
now just him having to fight so hard to get her back, it's just gonna
be a really drug-out, long ordeal," says Padgett.
Even though Padgett would like for her brother to win custody, she says she just wants what's best for little Shannon.
"I hope she ends up with her dad but if not, you know just so she's safe."
Crystina Mercer did not consent to dependency at this morning's hearing. She is scheduled to appear for trial on December 15.

Police reports and a 911 call transcript has been released in a
missing baby case. Investigators found seven-month-old Shannon Dedrick
in a wooden box, under her babysitter's bed. When Crystina Mercer called 911 on Halloween morning, Washington County investigators first thought it could be a prank. "I
woke up this morning and my six-month, ugh my... seven-month-old
daughter is missing. My front door it looks like it's been jimmied open
today," She said in a 911 call. That was 25-year-old Mercer's
story to police. Reports say she was emotionless as she told them she
awoke to her door being open, and her baby gone. After searching
the entire area for five days, investigators say they found the child
under her babysitter, Susan Baker's, bed. Dedrick was alive and healthy. Investigators
say about 10 hours before Mercer called 911, she and Susan Baker
arranged a swap, but didn't let anyone know about it. During
police interviews, Baker cried when told the child was missing. She
even told deputies that Mercer wanted to kill the child, and that's why
she babysat Shannon during the week. Initially, deputies did a
quick search of Baker's home. But it wasn't until a few days later they
found the baby in a box, under her bed. "Shannon Dedrick was
found in a two-by-three foot cedar chest underneath a bed. Understand,
under the bed. It was shoved to the back and covered with material to
deceive anyone that was looking," Washington County Sheriff Bobby
Haddock said. Investigators say the baby was kept in that box for more than 12 hours at a time. Shannon is now in the custody of the Department of Children and Families. Baker is charged with:

• Neglect of a child with aggravated circumstances – 2nd degree felony
  

• Interference with child custody – 3rd degree felony
  
• Filing a false report regarding a missing child – 1st degree misdemeanor
  
• Filing a false report of a crime – 1st degree misdemeanor
  
• Contributing to the delinquency of a child – 1st degree misdemeanor
  

Mercer is charged with:

• Interference with child custody – 3rd degree felony
  

• Desertion of a child – 3rd degree felony
  
• Filing a false report regarding a missing child – 1st degree misdemeanor
  
• Filing a false report of a crime – 1st degree misdemeanor
  
• Contributing to the delinquency of a child – 1st degree misdemeanor
  

This isn't the first time Susan Baker has been involved in a missing child case. In
1987, Baker told authorities her three-year-old stepson disappeared
from the family's Beaufort, South Carolina home while she was napping.
A massive manhunt turned up nothing. Baker and her husband were
extradited to South Carolina in 2000 to be charged in the child's
disappearance. However, they were never indicted and the child was
never found. Baker did serve prison time after authorities
investigating her stepson's disappearance found a six-year-old girl in
the home, badly beaten.

Hundreds of miles and 22 years of mystery separate baby Shannon Dedrick and toddler Paul Baker.
Susan Baker will always tie them together.
Baker remains jailed in Chipley on charges stemming from the
nationally publicized search for 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick, who was
found hidden in a box under Baker’s bed four days after her mother
reported her missing. Baker was her baby sitter and, investigators say,
wanted to raise her.
Baker was a baby sitter and later stepmother to 3-year-old Paul, who
went missing in 1987 and never has been found. Baker served time for
abusing his sister, then-6-year-old Nina Baker, and remains the prime
suspect in Paul’s disappearance.
Few said they believe Baker when she says she had nothing to do with it. Least of all: Nina and her mother, Lynda Solorzano.
As investigators worked to tie together two mysteries decades apart,
The News Herald tracked down both women, who agreed to tell their
stories.

Painful memories
Nina Baker Hernandez is 29 years old now with three children of her
own, but she still remembers being kept in a locked closet by her
stepmother, Susan Baker, two decades ago in South Carolina.
Her memory has spared her some of the rest.
“I know I don’t remember everything,” she told The News Herald in an
interview last week about her past with Baker. “I don’t remember how I
got the scars on my back. I have scars on my fingers. … I don’t know
how I got those, either.”
After Paul disappeared March 5, 1987, authorities discovered
6-year-old Nina was bruised and suffering from broken bones. They
removed her from the Baker home, and Baker, then 27, was arrested soon
after that. She later was convicted on charges of assault and
aggravated battery.
Her 10-year sentence ended after just 80 days (credit for time
served) and eventually she and Nina’s father, James Baker, moved to
Chipley.
Hernandez still remembers her punishments. She remembers the days
when she was first learning to count, when Baker punished her for
faltering at the number 10.
For each mistake, she said, Baker repeatedly dunked her head in a
bathtub filled with water, bringing her up at intervals for short
breaths. When she finished, the water was red with blood.
For the most part, she has put the abuse behind her. “I can’t dwell on it” and still raise a family, she said.
But the reduced sentence struck her as unfair, and for years after
Baker’s release, Hernandez wondered if her brother, Paul, was dead or
alive and, either way, if Baker made him disappear.
Asked if her father could be involved, too, she said, “Either she’s
that good at lying and covering things up, or he’s that blind.”
Nina and Paul’s real mother, Lynda Solorzano — the woman James Baker
left to marry Susan, the family baby sitter — said she still has no
clues to explain what happened to her son. Susan and James Baker, in
the early stages of the case, accused her of taking Paul.
“I hope they just make a big sensation out of it and really get her
this time,” she said of the Chipley case. “I’m wondering how many
children she was involved with before then. She always was a baby
sitter for people; that’s how she got involved with Nina and Paul and
James.”
For 22 years, she and Hernandez questioned each missing child case in the news.
“I’ve always expected that eventually her name would come up,”
Hernandez said. “Every single one that came over, I would sit there and
watch until they would tell me who was involved.”
Now that it has, “I hope they convict her,” she said. “I hope she doesn’t get off this time.”

Becoming a suspect
At the Beaufort County, S.C., Sheriff’s Office, about 40 miles north
of Hilton Head Island, Paul Baker’s missing-child case file is about an
inch thick. Dozens of pages of reports and interview summaries released
by the Sheriff’s Office show Susan Baker was a suspect in the case
almost from the start — and even before she became a suspect, she was
less than cooperative with investigators.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) also worked the
case; James Baker was a sergeant at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
The day of Paul’s disappearance, Susan Baker told investigators she
had put him down for a nap at 11 a.m., and when she awoke — she’d been
fast asleep, too, knocked out by a combination of muscle relaxers and
alcohol — Paul was gone. The initial report lists her as the
complainant and Linda Mott (now Solorzano) as the suspect.
Searches through a nearby river bed and marsh grass turned up
nothing. Over the next several weeks, and eventually years, the many
tips called in to investigators led nowhere. People suggested Paul was
dumped in a landfill or a bog, buried like a dog in a neighbor’s yard,
sold for cash or sent to Sarasota. Some tips were debunked; others
simply couldn’t be traced.
Meanwhile, a nervous 6-year-old Nina, when investigators asked about
her brother, answered, “Mama told me not to talk to you about (him),”
according to one report.
Asked last week if she can remember anything she might have seen or
overheard, Hernandez said, “There’s a lot of things I don’t remember. I
can’t tell you why I don’t remember; I just don’t. I wish I did. I’ve
searched my mind.”
Days after the initial report, James Baker failed a polygraph. Susan
Baker’s polygraph was listed as inconclusive because she was stressed,
obese and taking pills. Even before she took it, she told the
polygrapher, “You know I’m going to fail,” according to a report.
Afterward, she said, “I failed, didn’t I?”
But in various interviews with investigators, James Baker began to
recount how Susan “was too hard on the children,” how she beat Nina
nearly to death and, eventually, how he believed “Susan had killed
(Paul) and threw him in the river.”

‘I don’t think the truth’s in her’
James Baker suspected his wife, he said, because the day after Paul
went missing, Susan, suffering from a chronic sore back, wanted to take
a rare walk to the nearby river, Battery Creek. According to the
report, James Baker thought maybe it was “to check to make sure the
body couldn’t be seen.”
Investigators next turned to Susan Baker, who maintained in her
interview she did not know where Paul went, but acknowledged both
children were straining her and “she didn’t get married to raise
children.”
She said “that she was the one that got up when the children (were)
sick, that she was the one that put her arms around them and
comfort(ed) them,” an investigator wrote.
Paul was very sick for four days just before he disappeared,
sometimes soiling his bed and his clothes. Susan said “she felt he was
antagonizing her by whining and wetting in his pants.”
She began to yearn for an escape to Florida, where she could “wash her hands of the whole mess,” the report said.
She was becoming a suspect in the disappearance when James Baker
recanted his statement, a sudden change of mind. The investigation
continued down other alleys.
An investigators’ timeline of the case shows deputies serving a
March 24, 1987, search warrant found blood splatters inside the Baker
home and sent samples to the FBI. It’s unclear what happened to them.
Months later, when investigators came back to the Bakers for new written statements, Susan Baker had grown paranoid.
“Mrs. Baker stated to her husband that the only reason we wanted
another statement was to see if they lied and to compare statements,” a
deputy wrote.
Investigators even hypnotized Susan Baker’s cell mate (from Baker’s
stint in jail for the abuse of Nina), who spoke of a boy’s body in a
garbage bag but not much else.
“She lies to everybody,” Solorzano said of Baker. “I don’t think the truth’s in her.”

Losing the bet
The investigation plodded into the late ’90s. About that time,
Hernandez came to Chipley on what she thought was a simple visit to her
father. Authorities were monitoring it.
In 2000, Beaufort County and NCIS investigators filed aggravated
battery arrest warrants for the Bakers. Washington County sheriff’s
deputies made the arrests.
The Bakers waived extradition, but a grand jury eventually found insufficient evidence to indict on that charge.
Investigators had another angle, though — a photocopy of a letter,
the original somehow lost, believed handwritten by Susan Baker during
her 1987 stint in jail. Addressed to James Baker and signed, “Your
friend,” the letter suggested Paul was safe in North Carolina.
Armed with that, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office filed a child
neglect warrant — long-awaited charges related to Paul’s actual
disappearance — and the charges stuck. They believed the letter was
Susan Baker’s ploy to divert suspicion, and that, in itself, was
suspicious.
A grand jury indicted the Bakers, but that was as far as the case went.
Prosecutors dropped the case because the child neglect charge was a
misdemeanor count in South Carolina, so even if the Bakers were
convicted, they wouldn’t be severely punished. Authorities decided to
wait for more evidence to file more serious charges.
It was a gamble they lost.
The Chipley case has not opened any new leads into Paul’s
disappearance, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Cpl. Robin McIntosh said
Thursday, but Hernandez said she hopes for the justice she was denied.
“I know you can’t prosecute someone for something they’ve done in
the past,” she said, “but I hope the judge does take that into
consideration.
“I would like to know (about Paul) either way. Either tell us he’s
dead and at peace, or tell us, ‘I sold him,’ so we know he’s alive. Let
us breathe, either way.”

The disappearance of 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick sent shock waves throughout the nation earlier this month .
Pictures of the missing Chipley baby and the stories surrounding her family appeared all over the media outlets.
The widespread attention has caused a Circuit Judge to close the upcoming dependency hearing to the public.
It's hard not to recognize this little face.
7-month-old Shannon Dedrick became one of the biggest news stories in
the country after she disappeared for five days in early November.
"Washington County 911."
"Yes, my little girl, I woke up this morning and my 6-month old
daughter, uh..7-month-old daughter is missing. My front door looks like
it's been jimmied open today."
The baby's mother, Crystina Mercer, made this 911 call to the Washington County Sheriff's Office on October 31st.
"When's the last time you saw the child?"
"Last night when I put her to bed."
"Is there anyone who could have her?"
"Not that I know of. But I'm fixing to call my sister-in-law and my
other sister-in-law and see if either one of them stopped by."
Many
people breathed a sigh of relief when they learned she was alive and
safe after authorities found her inside a wooden box, under a bed in
her babysitter, Susan Baker's, home.
"We are the proud papas of a little girl."
Authorities arrested Baker and Mercer for their involvement in her disappearance.
But the excessive media coverage has now become a concern as Mercer heads to court for a dependency hearing next month.
She appeared in court on Tuesday, barely making eye contact with
Shannon's father, Rusty Dedrick, as the attorneys unanimously requested
to close the hearing to the public.
Family Physician Dr. Lisa
Bailey, who examined Shannon shortly after she was found on November 5,
testified the excessive attention could cause her more damage if it
continues.
"I think it could, I think she could easily be known as the child that was found in a box for many, many years."
"When her name was googled, there was over 7 million hits that came up and there were 35 videos that came up on YouTube."
A Guardian Ad Litem case coordinator also testified the media's
presence could compromise the identity of Shannon's current foster care
situation.
"It's been reported by the foster parent that she takes
extra precaution when taking the child out in public, she covers her
face with a blanket or sheet so people in the community can't see her."
Circuit Judge Allen Register ruled to close the court proceedings based
on these reasons and the possibility of Shannon and her parents'
medical issues being discussed.
Mercer's dependency hearing is still set for December 15th.

The mother and baby sitter of a baby
reported missing on Halloween last year in Chipley, Fla., are
tentatively set for trial in May.

Susan Elizabeth Baker and Crystina Lynn Mercer were charged Nov. 5,
2009, in connection with the disappearance of 7-month-old Shannon Lea
Dedrick. The baby’s disappearance sparked a multi-agency search of
Chipley. Mercer reported the baby missing from the bedroom of their
mobile home in Chipley. Baby
Shannon was missing four days before being found inside a cedar chest at
the home of Baker, the infant’s baby sitter.

Police believe Mercer — the baby’s mother — agreed to hand over Baby
Shannon to Baker on the night of Oct. 30, then the two conspired to
concoct a story about the baby’s disappearance. Mercer called 911 on
Halloween morning and reported her baby
missing.

“Yes, my little girl ... I woke up this morning and my 6-month-old
daughter is ... ugh ... my 7-month-old daughter is missing. My front
door, it looks like it’s been jimmied open today,” Mercer said while
speaking to the 911 dispatcher.

The preliminary investigation led officers to be suspicious of Mercer
and Baker almost immediately.

“Upon my arrival Ms. Mercer was sitting on a rock outside the
residence smoking a cigarette. She was not in an emotional state and
simply stated to me she could not find her baby,” officer John Douglas
Standland wrote in his initial incident report after driving to the
scene of the disappearance on Saturday, Oct. 31, on Brown Street in
Chipley.

Baker and Mercer were charged with several felonies and misdemeanors,
including interfering with child custody, false report of a crime,
false report of a missing child and contributing to the delinquency of a
child. Mercer was also charged with child desertion.

Baker also was charged with neglect of a child with aggravating
circumstances.

A pre-trial hearing is set for both defendants May 3 in Washington
County, with the trial set for May 4. Trial dates are subject to change.

Both women accused in last year’s disappearance of 7-month-old
Shannon Dedrick will face trial in July, a prosecutor said Monday.
Susan Baker and Crystina Mercer each had pretrial hearings Monday in
Chipley, according to Washington County court records.
Prosecutor Greg Wilson said the court set another pretrial hearing
for July 9, and the trial will follow soon after.
Baker faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted. She was charged
with child abuse, giving false information to law enforcement and
interfering with child custody in November, after a Washington County
sheriff’s deputy found the baby hidden in a wooden box under a bed in
her home.
Searchers had been looking for the baby for several days after Mercer
reported her missing Halloween night.
Mercer was charged with giving false information and making a false
911 call, but Wilson has said he isn’t sure if she secretly gave up her
baby as charged, or if Baker kidnapped the child.