ZAHRA CLARE BAKER - 10 yo (2010) - Hickory NC

A Look Inside Zahra’s Home

November 5, 2010
HICKORY, N.C. --

For the first time, Eyewitness News went inside of Zahra Baker’s Hickory home.

• VIDEO: A Look Inside Zahra's Home

There are holes in walls, ceilings and floors after an extensive, multiple-day search done by investigators. There is a large hole in the floor of Zahra’s bedroom, which is painted bright pink, and part of the drywall has been ripped away, exposing wooden beams.

The kitchen, living room and bathroom have similar damage. Some furniture, decorative items and household items remain in the home, located on 21st Avenue NW.

Investigators spent several days last week searching the inside of the house, as well as the yard. They said only that they were looking for evidence related to Zahra’s disappearance, but did not say specifically what that evidence was.

A large team of searchers spent Friday searching the area around Christie Road in Caldwell County. They confirmed that they found "additional evidence" during Friday's search but have not said what that evidence is.

Shortly before the search ended for the day, investigators gathered and appeared to pray.

Elisa Baker, the letter, her husband Adam, and missing Zahra.

The stepmother of missing Australian girl Zahra Baker has reportedly pointed the finger at her husband over the child's disappearance. A website that features interviews and letters from notorious criminals has published two letters allegedly handwritten by Elisa Baker from her jail cell.

Mrs Baker blames Zahra's Australian father, Adam Baker, for the girl's disappearance, saying: "He knows what happened to Zahra and yet I'm the one in here at least for now."

Zahra, 10, was reported missing from her North Carolina home on October 9.

Police this week confirmed that a prosthetic leg found near where Mrs Baker once lived had belonged to Zahra.
In another letter, Mrs Baker says: "We really didn't kill her but what [Mr Baker] did after the fact is kinda horrifying."
She goes on to say that she is afraid of her husband.

She also writes, "Zahra isn't missing. The cops know where she is and what [Mr Baker] has done. That's right what he has done."

The letters reportedly feature illustrations of spiders, candelabras with the phrases "Vamps Rule!" and "Be part of the freak show!" written on them.

The owners of the website serialkillersink.net told an American local news network they reached out to Mrs Baker using a pen name.

"We don't doubt the authenticity of it," one owner, Jessika Gein, told Charlotte-based WBTV.
"If we write to that person and we get something back and it's stamped by the prison or the jail, the envelope, then we pretty much know it's legit," Ms Gein said.

She said the police also knew about the letters.

"They said that they have copies of all the letters that are coming and outgoing and that they know they're legit letters," she said. "So they don't doubt it and neither do we."

Mrs Baker is in custody for allegedly forging a ransom note following her stepdaughter's disappearance.
Mr Baker was this week evicted from the family's home in the small town of Hickory.

The couple met in an internet chat room.

Mrs Baker moved to Australia before the couple moved back to the United States, taking Zahra with them.
"I have heard from mail I have gotten that people think he is guilty and heartless towards me," she writes.

"Makes me wonder if there hasn't been someone else. "My lawyers have asked me if I wanted to divorce him cause of some stuff that's come out about Zahra. "We really didn't kill her but what he did after the fact is kinda horrifying. "Makes me scared of him."

D.A. Asks To Speed Up Testing In Zahra Case

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/25674300/detail.html

Sadly, that is the only news I could find today about this dear child. It's like two years ago when we were looking everyday to see if Caylee had been found.

ladibug wrote:Sadly, that is the only news I could find today about this dear child. It's like two years ago when we were looking everyday to see if Caylee had been found.

---Welcome to J4C bug! I remember those days quite well, it's when this Blog/NewsCenter began. I know that at the time many of us still had hopes that Caylee would be found alive but as the summer turned to autumn and autumn became winter our hopes were failing. I know many who cried when Dr. Jan gave the announcement.
In this case, there is no hope that Zahra is alive. We know (basically) that something happened and she's been "disposed of". Until they piece together some more evidence and/or add charges to the "parents" there really isn't anything to report.

A month into Zahra case, police await DNA results, review and re-evaluate

Updated: Nov 09, 2010 12:57 PM CST

Excerpt:

HICKORY, NC (WBTV) - The Zahra Baker homicide case is inching along as it reaches the month-mark, with authorities taking a time-out early this week from their active search.

Instead, Monday they focused on paperwork which must be done, reviewing and re-evaluating their evidence. Police are also interviewing tipsters. And, already on Tuesday, they were quickly back out at a search location in Caldwell County -- although they weren't saying exactly where.

Full Coverage: The Search for Zahra

READ MORE: http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13465050

Elisa Baker’s Cousin: We Don’t Know The Truth, Either
Related Stories/Links

Posted: 4:21 pm EST November 8, 2010Updated: 5:37 pm EST November 8, 2010
CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. -- A family member of Elisa Baker, Zahra Baker’s stepmother, visited her in jail on Monday.

VIDEO: Elisa Baker’s Cousin: We Don’t Know The Truth, Either

The woman, who did not want to give her name, is Elisa’s first cousin. She is one of the few people outside of attorneys who have spoken with Elisa inside the jail.

“I'm not going to comment about that,” the woman said when asked if she thought Elisa should be in jail.

She added, “I don't think she is the only one who should be in jail.”

Zahra was reported missing on Oct. 9. Elisa Baker has been in jail during most of the investigation into the 10-year-old’s disappearance. She was charged with felony obstruction of justice after police said she admitted to writing a fake ransom note.

• RELATED STORY: Judge Ups Bond For Zahra Baker’s Stepmother

“She's not doing well at all,” the visiting cousin said. “She's trying to find the truth.”

The woman said she and other family members are grateful for all the work police have done so far in the case.

“This is very, very sad for us,” she said. “Our first concern is finding Zahra. That's the very first. The second is finding out the truth, because we don't know the truth, either.”

Zahra’s father, Adam Baker, was arrested on Oct. 25 on charges unrelated to the case. He was later released from jail on bond.

Investigators have searched several places for evidence in the case, including two ponds, homes where the Bakers had lived, a Caldwell County landfill and a wooded area off Christie Road in Caldwell County.
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/25675578/detail.html

Crime Stoppers offers reward in Zahra Baker case

By: Bob Costner
HIGH POINT – Tuesday afternoon the reward in the Zahra Baker case took another big jump, when the N.C. Crime Stoppers Association donated $1,000 to the reward fund.

Robyn Lee is the coordinator of High Point's Crime Stoppers program. Like many across the state, she's been keeping up with the case, and she noticed, initially, there wasn't a Crime Stoppers number broadcast.

"I made some phone calls to check out and see, it turns out, that the Hickory/Catawba program had sort of died out," said Lee.

She's on the board of directors of the state and Southeastern Crime Stoppers Associations.

"A lot of programs right now are struggling because of reward funds being down, everybody's having a tough time raising money these days," said Lee.

She and her counterparts called around and worked to fill the gap. They got $1,000 pledges from Crime Stoppers Programs in High Point and Winston-Salem along with Alexander, Caldwell and Cleveland counties. That brings the total to $6,000.

Caldwell County Crime Stoppers agreed to field calls, which could crack the case.

“It's an anonymous way for people to give information, so they don't have to worry about retaliation, they don't have to worry about going to court," said Lee.

In addition to capturing hearts across North Carolina, Zahra Baker's case has also drawn national and international attention."

“I just can't imagine, your heart not being touched by this, such a sad case, that little girl sounds like she's lived a very tough life," said Lee.

The 10 year old lost her leg to cancer and her hearing to chemotherapy. She was reported missing a month ago, when her father Adam Baker reported her missing. Investigators later canceled the Amber Alert after the Hickory girl's stepmother, Elisa Baker, admitted to writing a fake ransom note.

She's charged with obstruction of justice and is being held on a $65,000 bond. Adam Baker was arrested on charges unrelated to the case and is free on bond.

The case is being investigated as a homicide. Searchers have found Zahra's prosthetic leg in Caldwell County and a bone that's being tested at the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office.

"Hopefully we can get some information, get some closure, for those who loved her and cared about her," said Lee.

And if you have any information about the Zahra Baker case, call Caldwell County Crime Stoppers at (828) 758-8300.
http://charlotte.news14.com/content/local_news/charlotte/632561/crime-stoppers-offers-reward-in-zahra-baker-case

Search Continues 1 Month After Zahra Was Reported Missing

Video Report: http://www.wsoctv.com/video/25688490/index.html

RadBerky
Caldwell County has now shut down traffic around the Zahra search location and asked FAA to limit our chopper flight to 3000 ft.
20 minutes ago

They must have found something!

Search for Zahra continues in Caldwell Co.; police await DNA info

Posted: Nov 08, 2010 2:05 PM CST
Updated: Nov 10, 2010 9:57 AM CST

Excerpt:

HICKORY, NC (WBTV) - Search teams are combing a new site in Caldwell County on Wednesday for evidence related to the investigation of Zahra Baker, the missing 10-year-old girl.

Crews began searching at an area near Dudley Shoals Drive and Burns Road in Caldwell County at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Officials said the area, which has been searched before, was one of the locations that Elisa Baker suggested search crews look.

Monday, investigators they focused on paperwork which must be done, reviewing and re-evaluating their evidence. Police are also interviewing tipsters. On Tuesday, teams searched a site off of Indian Grave Road, just north of Lenoir and 10 miles north of the Christie Road location.

READ MORE: http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13465050

Divers Search Creek For Evidence In Zahra's Disappearance

VIDEO REPORT: http://www.wsoctv.com/video/25745968/index.html

Gunpowder Creek Search 11/10/2010

Search intensifies for Zahra as area becomes 'no-fly zone'
Posted: Nov 08, 2010 3:05 PM EST Updated: Nov 10, 2010 2:24 PM EST
HICKORY, NC (WBTV) - Search teams are combing a new site in Caldwell County on Wednesday for evidence related to the investigation of Zahra Baker, the missing 10-year-old girl.

Crews began searching at an area near Dudley Shoals Drive and Burns Road in Caldwell County at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Officials said the area, which has been searched before, was one of the locations that Elisa Baker suggested search crews look.

The search on Wednesday has taken on a more serious tone with a no-fly zone set up -- meaning news helicopters are not allowed over the area. Also, earlier Wednesday search crews went in with dry suits, and then went in to search a body of water.

According to WBTV reporter Steve Ohnesorge, police are extremely tight-lipped about what is happening and they seem more intense as the search goes on. The media is being kept back further than ever -- and security for the search area is tighter than it ever has been.

Ohnesorge said that every officer he tried to talk to seems "frantic" and they all told him "I can't say anything."
snipped

Investigators comb water, woods at Dudley Shoals
Nearly 40 people search for evidence in Zahra Baker case Wednesday.
http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/nov/10/investigators-comb-water-woods-dudley-shoals-ar-526669/
By Sarah Newell williamson
Published: November 10, 2010
GRANITE FALLS --

Wednesday morning, investigators returned to an area along Dudley Shoals Road to search for evidence connected to the homicide of Zahra Clare Baker. This time, in addition to searching along the banks of Gunpowder Creek, they also looked in the water itself.
Several Caldwell County agencies gathered at the Hudson Fire and Rescue station at 7 a.m. Wednesday before heading out to Dudley Shoals Road near Burns Road to search for evidence, beginning at the Dudley Shoals bridge and spanning out in a half mile in each direction, said Tommy Courtner, Caldwell County EMS director.
“We’ve brought trained staff out to locate evidence with this case,” Courtner said. “The water team searched the banks and stream. We also brought mower devices to trim brush.”
The water team, dressed in personal flotation devices and helmets, waded through the water, which ranged from six inches to five feet in depth, searching with oars for evidence.
A BOB-CAT with a mower attached to the end rather than a bucket, was used to trim 18 inches of underbrush from the ground surrounding the higher-up banks.
“We have terrain navigation equipment and we’ve color coded, so we can see what we’ve covered,” Courtner said. “We’re doing five-feet of spacing, and three-feet of spacing on high-priority areas, going shoulder-to-shoulder.”
Thirty-nine people assisted with Wednesday’s search, with a safety officer overseeing the operation. Courtner said it was necessary, because the water is dark and rocky.
Hickory and SBI investigators were also searching in the woods along the banks. At one point they paused and brushed something off in the leaves, making a notation on a clipboard.
Courtner said searching this area of Dudley Shoals is difficult because, like the area that was searched along Christie Road a few miles away, it is an unofficial illegal dumpsite in the county.
“People have easy access to get in and out,” he said. “The area is bone-infested.”
The number of animal carcasses makes investigators’ search more difficult. However, searchers are on the lookout for anything that might be of interest in the investigation.
“We have a medical examiner from Chapel Hill on the scene,” Courtner said. “We’re looking for bags, boxes, bones, anything that can help us.”
Calldwell County Emergency Services agencies have participated in four days worth of searches — two days at Christie Road last week, a search at Indian Grave Road in the Patterson community north of Lenoir on Tuesday and the search off Dudley Shoals Road on Wednesday. Red Cross has provided assistance, including food, so they can remain at the sites longer.
Investigators searched this area on Oct. 25 in connection to Zahra’s disappearance, and have returned to it at least once since then.
Several other areas have been searched for Zahra or for evidence in connection with her disappearance, including a landfill in Caldwell County, several former rental properties or sites near where the Bakers once lived in Caldwell County, their Hickory home and Adam Baker’s employer, Real Tree Services in Morganton.
Zahra, 10, has been missing for more than a month. She was first reported missing by her father, Adam Baker, on Oct. 9. Three days later, the Amber Alert that was issued was cancelled and the case was changed to a homicide investigation. Someone outside of the family last saw Zahra on Sept. 25. Zahra’s stepmother, Elisa, 42, is currently in jail for writing a false ransom note in which she demanded $1 million. Because of that, Elisa has been indicted on one count of felony obstruction of justice. She has also been arrested on several other charges unrelated to Zahra’s disappearance. Adam was arrested as well, for several charges unrelated to the case. He has since bonded out of jail.
Courtner, a father himself to a 10- and 16-year-old, said the searches for the disappearance of the bubbly, smiling child have been difficult for himself and the others involved.
“We can’t go home and talk about it, so we talk to each other,” he said.

Raw video - Water search for Zahra:

http://www.chathousenews.com/2010/11/raw-video-of-water-search-for-zahra.html

Source: Item of interest found in Zahra Baker search

WCNC Video Report: http://www.wcnc.com/video?id=107047579&sec=552217

http://charlotte.news14.com/content/local_news/charlotte/632607/zahra-search-returns-to-granite-falls--something-found

Zahra Baker's biological mother is on her way from Australia to North Carolina while police investigate a possible break in the case of the missing 10-year-old.

Sources told NewsChannel 36 that investigators searching a creek in a rural part of Caldwell County came across some important evidence Wednesday. Police have not released any details on what that evidence may be.

NewsChannel 36 has also learned that Emily Dietrich, Zahra's mother, is on her way to Hickory. Dietrich has not had contact with Zahra since she was a baby. She told Australia's Channel 7 News that she was trying to find Zahra when she learned she had disappeared.

"I felt robbed before she was taken. Now I just feel broken," Dietrich told the Australian television station.

In Caldwell County Wednesday, crews searched along Gunpowder Creek off Dudley Shoals Road.

"We have completed the body of water today," said Tommy Courtner, emergency management coordinator in Caldwell County.

A team of nearly 40 people searched both the water and the ground.

"An area that's high priority to us right now, we are doing 3-foot spacing so our guys are basically shoulder to shoulder going through there," Courtner said. "We're moving the brush out. We look at every piece of that ground."

Around noon Wednesday, investigators mysteriously ordered the media out, closing the road and the airspace without explaining why.

A medical examiner from Chapel Hill was on hand to help crews because, investigators say, there are bones in the area -- many of them from deer.

The search in Caldwell County was scheduled to resume Thursday.

Police have made several significant finds in Zahra Baker's case in the last few weeks.


Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/11/1829644/zahras-mother-headed-to-nc.html#ixzz14zIAWJk5

Source: Human remains have been found in search for Zahra Baler
Investigators find 'valuable' evidence in case
By Franco Ordonez
fordonez@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
Missing Girl North Carolina

HICKORY Investigators on Thursday said they may have found a significant piece of evidence in the disappearance of 10-year-old Zahra Baker.

"Search teams in Caldwell County yesterday located evidence that could provide valuable information in the Zahra Baker case," Hickory police said in a statement. "The evidence will be analyzed at the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation's lab."

Police refused to say more about the potential evidence, saying, "...We must be cautious in prematurely releasing information so it will not jeopardize any future criminal proceedings."

A source close to the investigation told the Observer's news partner, WCNC, that crews found human remains while searching in Caldwell County Wednesday. Hickory police would not confirm that human remains were found.

Thursday's disclosure comes amid reports on CNN that police have identified a "person of interest" in the case, which has attracted attention around the world.

Also, Australian media reported that Zahra Baker's biological mother is on her way from Australia to North Carolina.

WCNC-TV, the Observer's news partner, reported that Emily Dietrich, Zahra's biological mother, will come to Hickory. Dietrich has not had contact with Zahra since she was a baby. She told Australia's Channel 7 News that she was trying to find Zahra when she learned she had disappeared.

"I felt robbed before she was taken. Now I just feel broken," Dietrich told the Australian television station.

On Thursday, investigators were back at the Dudley Shoals community of Caldwell County, continuing a month-long search for evidence.

Searchers focused on a half-mile stretch of Gunpowder Creek, with divers looking in the water and investigators combing through the banks. Police said something was found during the search.

Police have searched the area before, accompanied by Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker. She has been in jail over the course of the investigation, charged with felony obstruction of justice after police said she admitted to writing a phony ransom note the day Zahra was reported missing.

When asked why they returned to the area, police said they wanted to do a more thorough search.

It's been a month since Zahra was reported missing. More than 30 people were involved in the search on Wednesday, which focused on a one-mile area. Police wouldn't elaborate on what led them to Indian Grave Road, which is about 10 miles north of where Zahra's prosthetic leg was found and about 20 miles north of the Bakers' Hickory home.

Zahra was reported missing on Oct. 9 by her father, Adam Baker, and her stepmother. Police said she has not been seen by anyone outside of her family since Sept. 25.

Investigators have searched several places for evidence in the case, including two ponds, homes where the Bakers had lived, a Caldwell County landfill and a wooded area off Christie Road in Caldwell County.

Zahra's prosthetic leg was found in the Christie Road area, and a bone that investigators said may be related to the case was also found in Caldwell County.


Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/11/1829991/investigators-find-valuable-evidence.html#ixzz14znfVvSi

Body found during Zahra Baker search, authorities analyzing remains

Thursday, Nov 11 2010, 12:30 pm
WSOC-TV

Investigators found remains while searching Wednesday for evidence in the disappearance of Zahra Baker, WSOC-TV Channel 9 has learned.

The remains will be analyzed at the State Bureau of Investigation’s lab. Investigators made the discovery while searching along Dudley Shoals Road in Caldwell County.

Searchers focused on a half-mile stretch of Gunpowder Creek, with divers looking in the water and investigators combing through the banks. Eyewitness News reporter Dave Faherty returned to the site on Thursday and found that a large hole, about 2 1/2 feet deep and close to 10 feet across, had been dug.

Police have searched the area before, accompanied by Zahra’s stepmother, Elisa Baker. She has been in jail over the course of the investigation, charged with felony obstruction of justice after police said she admitted to writing a phony ransom note the day Zahra was reported missing.

On Thursday, searchers returned to the search site along Christie Road, where Zahra’s prosthetic leg was found. The roadway is shut down.

Zahra was reported missing on Oct. 9 by her father, Adam Baker, and her stepmother. Police said she has not been seen by anyone outside of her family since Sept. 25.

Investigators have searched several places for evidence in the case, including two ponds, homes where the Bakers had lived, a Caldwell County landfill and the Christie Road area.
http://www.shelbystar.com/news/body-51390-remains-search.html

====================================
they're reporting a body -

oviedo45 wrote:Body found during Zahra Baker search, authorities analyzing remains

Thursday, Nov 11 2010, 12:30 pm
WSOC-TV

Investigators found remains while searching Wednesday for evidence in the disappearance of Zahra Baker, WSOC-TV Channel 9 has learned.

The remains will be analyzed at the State Bureau of Investigation’s lab. Investigators made the discovery while searching along Dudley Shoals Road in Caldwell County.

Searchers focused on a half-mile stretch of Gunpowder Creek, with divers looking in the water and investigators combing through the banks. Eyewitness News reporter Dave Faherty returned to the site on Thursday and found that a large hole, about 2 1/2 feet deep and close to 10 feet across, had been dug.

Police have searched the area before, accompanied by Zahra’s stepmother, Elisa Baker. She has been in jail over the course of the investigation, charged with felony obstruction of justice after police said she admitted to writing a phony ransom note the day Zahra was reported missing.

On Thursday, searchers returned to the search site along Christie Road, where Zahra’s prosthetic leg was found. The roadway is shut down.

Zahra was reported missing on Oct. 9 by her father, Adam Baker, and her stepmother. Police said she has not been seen by anyone outside of her family since Sept. 25.

Investigators have searched several places for evidence in the case, including two ponds, homes where the Bakers had lived, a Caldwell County landfill and the Christie Road area.
http://www.shelbystar.com/news/body-51390-remains-search.html

====================================
they're reporting a body -

At least that would rule out the wood chipper....

Police call off search for Zahra Baker after finding 'significant evidence'
Comments 0
Friday, Nov 12 2010, 8:27 am
WSOC
CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. -- Hickory police called off the search for a missing 10-year-old after they found, what they called, "significant evidence."

Officers said Thursday evening the evidence they found in the case of Zahra Baker that they're calling off the search for the 10-year-old who has been missing since Oct. 9.

Channel 9 Eyewitness News learned from sources that investigators found human remains on Wednesday when they searched in and near Gunpowder Creek off Dudley Shoals Road in Caldwell County.

Deputy Chief Clyde Deal wouldn't comment on what was found but said he will not send additional search teams to the area in the future.

Zahra's father, Adam Baker, had no comment on the developments.

People visiting a makeshift memorial outside Zahra's home in Hickory said they believe closure is near.

"I just hate to see something like that happen to a 10-year-old," said Flossie Wilcox who visited the memorial with her two young children. "And, you know, I'd just like to see some closure on it," said Wilcox.

Zahra's biological mother, Emily Dietrich, visited the memorial early Thursday morning after arriving from her home in Australia. Witnesses said Dietrich spent about 45 minutes there with an Australian news crew.

The crew returned to the memorial late Thursday evening without Dietrich. Neighbors said crew members told them Dietrich was talking with officers at the Hickory Police Department, but police would not confirm that.

The remains found Wednesday will be analyzed at the State Bureau of Investigation’s lab.

Police have searched the area before, accompanied by Zahra’s stepmother, Elisa Baker. She has been in jail over the course of the investigation, charged with felony obstruction of justice after police said she admitted to writing a phony ransom note the day Zahra was reported missing.

On Thursday, searchers returned to the search site along Christie Road, where Zahra’s prosthetic leg was found. The roadway was shut down for much of the day.

Zahra was reported missing on Oct. 9 by her father, Adam Baker, and her stepmother. Police said she has not been seen by anyone outside of her family since Sept. 25.

Investigators have searched several places for evidence in the case, including two ponds, homes where the Bakers had lived, a Caldwell County landfill and the Christie Road area.

http://www.shelbystar.com/news/zahra-51411-memorial-search.html

Zahra Baker's biological mom arrives in Hickory

by BETH SHAYNE / NewsChannel 36
WCNC.com

Posted on November 12, 2010 at 12:06 AM
Updated today at 7:16 AM

Excerpt:

HICKORY, N.C. -- When Eddie Mitchell saw a woman with a camera crew kneeling outside the makeshift memorial at the Baker's home on 21st Street Ave. NW across the street from his, he didn't know what to expect.

. . . .

That woman was Emily Dietrich, who traveled to Hickory early Thursday from Australia with a camera crew from Channel Seven News in Australia. Dietrich is Zahra's biological mother. She tells Channel Seven she gave custody to Adam Baker when Zahra was a baby because she was suffering from post-partum depression. She says she'd been trying to locate her ex and their daughter when she learned that Zahra had disappeared.

READ MORE: http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Bakers-biological-mom-in-Hickory-107371348.html



Really?

"Police have scheduled a 4 p.m. news conference regarding the investigation. You can watch it live on wsoctv.com."
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/25758518/detail.html

Source: Remains to be confirmed as Zahra Baker

by NewsChannel 36 Staff

WCNC.com

Posted on November 12, 2010 at 9:42 AM

Updated today at 10:07 AM

HICKORY, N.C. – A source close to the investigation tells NewsChannel 36 Hickory Police will hold a 4 p.m. news briefing on Friday in which investigators will announce that remains found Wednesday are in fact that of Zahra Baker.

Hickory police confirmed that they will hold a press conference, but did not say anything specific about the reason or topic of the conference.

Zahra Baker was reported missing by her father and stepmother, Adam and Elisa Baker, on Oct. 9.

As police moved further into their investigation they discovered that no one, except for Adam and Elisa Baker, could confirm seeing Zahra after Sept. 25.

Elisa Baker was arrested on Oct. 10, the day after reporting Zahra missing, on charged unrelated to the child’s disappearance. She was charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the case on Oct. 11. Police say Elisa Baker wrote a bogus ransom note and refused to cooperate with investigators.

Adam Baker was arrested on Oct. 25 on five counts of writing worthless checks, two counts of communicating threats, assault with a deadly weapon and failure to return rental property.

Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said at the beginning of the investigation that Adam Baker had outstanding warrants for worthless checks and that officers would execute those warrants at the appropriate time.

Police said Elisa Baker began talking to investigators on Sunday, but would not say if it was information from Elisa Baker that lead them to the search sites where they found evidence.

* On Oct. 25, a mattress was found in the Caldwell County landfill. It's still being tested for DNA, but police believe it belonged to Zahra.
* On Oct. 27, investigators uncovered the girl's prosthetic leg in the brush off Christie Road in Caldwell County.
* On Nov. 3, investigators discovered a bone at another search site. The bone is still being tested to determine if it belonged to Zahra.

The search for Zahra has grabbed international attention. The 10-year-old was born in Australia and lived there until moving to North Carolina two years ago. Zahra battled two forms of cancer before moving to the United States, bone cancer at age 5 and lung cancer a few years later.

Zahra's biological mother, Emily Dietrich, arrived in Hickory on Thursday.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/Source-Remains-are-that-of-Zahra-Baker-107480738.htm