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

Officials in Hickory have issued an Amber Alert for a missing girl.10-year-old Zahra Claire Baker was last seen asleep Saturday morning at her home on 21st Avenue Northwest.She was reported missing Saturday afternoon.

Officials are concerned for her safety, because Zahra is hard of hearing, and wears a prosthetic leg.She is five feet tall and weighs 55 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.If you've seen her, call 9-1-1.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/09/north.carolina.amber.alert/index.htm

10-year-old North Carolina girl missing from home
From Leslie Tripp, CNN
October 10, 2010 2:19 a.m. EDT

(CNN) -- An Amber Alert has been issued after a 10-year-old girl was reported missing from her Hickory, North Carolina, home on Saturday.

Zahra Clare Baker was last seen sleeping in her bedroom about 2:30 a.m., according to Clyde Deal, deputy chief of the Hickory Police Department. She was reported missing Saturday afternoon.
"We are conducting interviews now and following up on the leads we have so far," Deal said. "As of right now, we haven't ruled anything out. We're exploring all possibilities."

Zahra is described as white, measuring about 5-foot-1 and weighs 85 pounds. She has a prosthetic device below her left knee and is hearing-impaired.

Anyone with information can call the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551.

This little girl was last seen sleeping in her bed, now she's vanished into thin air?? I'm very anxious to hear the rest of the story, like--where were her parents, were there other people in the house besides the family, was there signs of a break-in???
Kinda fishy to me.

http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/8429135/

Posted: 12:27 p.m. today
Stepmother of missing Hickory girl arrested

Hickory, N.C. — The stepmother of a missing Hickory girl was arrested Sunday morning on outstanding charges unrelated to the 10-year-old's disappearance.

Police said details that have emerged in the past 12 hours make it seem less likely that a stranger abducted Zahra Clare Baker, who was reported missing a day earlier by her father, Adam, and stepmother, Elisa.

Elisa Baker was arrested on unrelated, outstanding charges around 10:45 a.m., police said. Details of those charges weren't released.

Police said Elisa Baker has not been eliminated as a person of interest in Zahra's disappearance.

They didn't release details of the ongoing investigation, but said it has revealed "inconsistencies." The father and stepmother were interviewed early in the investigation, and police were following up leads to corroborate their statements.

Elisa and Adam Barker reported Zahra missing around 2 p.m. Saturday. They said they had last seen her in sleeping in her bedroom at 21 21st Ave. NW around 2:30 a.m., police said.

"We continue to have concerns for her well-being," Libby Grigg, assistant to the Hickory police chief, said in a statement. "We are deeply concerned for the welfare of Zahra but remain hopeful that we will locate her safe and unharmed."

A statewide Amber Alert issued Saturday for Zahra remains in effect. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was assisting in the search for her.

Zahra is described as a white girl, about 5 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 85 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a camouflage Army T-shirt and black knee-length tights, and she has a prosthetic left leg below the knee. She is hearing-impaired but does not have her hearing aids with her.
No information about any potential abductor has been released.

Anyone with information about Zahra's whereabouts is asked to call the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551 or call 911 or *HP.

alwaysbelieve wrote:http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/8429135/

Posted: 12:27 p.m. today
Stepmother of missing Hickory girl arrested

Hickory, N.C. — The stepmother of a missing Hickory girl was arrested Sunday morning on outstanding charges unrelated to the 10-year-old's disappearance.

Police said details that have emerged in the past 12 hours make it seem less likely that a stranger abducted Zahra Clare Baker, who was reported missing a day earlier by her father, Adam, and stepmother, Elisa.

Elisa Baker was arrested on unrelated, outstanding charges around 10:45 a.m., police said. Details of those charges weren't released.

Police said Elisa Baker has not been eliminated as a person of interest in Zahra's disappearance.

They didn't release details of the ongoing investigation, but said it has revealed "inconsistencies." The father and stepmother were interviewed early in the investigation, and police were following up leads to corroborate their statements.

Elisa and Adam Barker reported Zahra missing around 2 p.m. Saturday. They said they had last seen her in sleeping in her bedroom at 21 21st Ave. NW around 2:30 a.m., police said.

"We continue to have concerns for her well-being," Libby Grigg, assistant to the Hickory police chief, said in a statement. "We are deeply concerned for the welfare of Zahra but remain hopeful that we will locate her safe and unharmed."

A statewide Amber Alert issued Saturday for Zahra remains in effect. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was assisting in the search for her.

Zahra is described as a white girl, about 5 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 85 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a camouflage Army T-shirt and black knee-length tights, and she has a prosthetic left leg below the knee. She is hearing-impaired but does not have her hearing aids with her.
No information about any potential abductor has been released.

Anyone with information about Zahra's whereabouts is asked to call the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551 or call 911 or *HP.

Sounds like another Kyron story...so very sad for all our little children

Annabeth wrote:

alwaysbelieve wrote:http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/8429135/

Posted: 12:27 p.m. today
Stepmother of missing Hickory girl arrested

Hickory, N.C. — The stepmother of a missing Hickory girl was arrested Sunday morning on outstanding charges unrelated to the 10-year-old's disappearance.

Police said details that have emerged in the past 12 hours make it seem less likely that a stranger abducted Zahra Clare Baker, who was reported missing a day earlier by her father, Adam, and stepmother, Elisa.

Elisa Baker was arrested on unrelated, outstanding charges around 10:45 a.m., police said. Details of those charges weren't released.

Police said Elisa Baker has not been eliminated as a person of interest in Zahra's disappearance.

They didn't release details of the ongoing investigation, but said it has revealed "inconsistencies." The father and stepmother were interviewed early in the investigation, and police were following up leads to corroborate their statements.

Elisa and Adam Barker reported Zahra missing around 2 p.m. Saturday. They said they had last seen her in sleeping in her bedroom at 21 21st Ave. NW around 2:30 a.m., police said.

"We continue to have concerns for her well-being," Libby Grigg, assistant to the Hickory police chief, said in a statement. "We are deeply concerned for the welfare of Zahra but remain hopeful that we will locate her safe and unharmed."

A statewide Amber Alert issued Saturday for Zahra remains in effect. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was assisting in the search for her.

Zahra is described as a white girl, about 5 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 85 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a camouflage Army T-shirt and black knee-length tights, and she has a prosthetic left leg below the knee. She is hearing-impaired but does not have her hearing aids with her.
No information about any potential abductor has been released.

Anyone with information about Zahra's whereabouts is asked to call the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551 or call 911 or *HP.

Sounds like another Kyron story...so very sad for all our little children

That's what I was just going to post--another Kyron story. Will it ever stop??

http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=9818.0
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/10/10/north-carolina-police-issue-amber-alert-missing-girl/

North Carolina Police Issue Amber Alert for Missing Girl

Published October 10, 2010
Associated Press

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/oct/10/police-deeply-concerned-about-welfare-missing-girl-ar-448453/

Police "deeply concerned" about welfare of missing girl

Credit: By James Nix/Concord/Kannapolis Independent-Tribune

Hickory Police are looking for Zahra Baker, who was last seen in her bed Saturday. Authorities have issued a statewide Amber Alert. Baker, who is hearing-impaired, is seen here during a hearing aid giveaway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

By Richard Gould
Published: October 10, 2010

HICKORY -- Police are continuing their search for a 10-year-old girl who was reported missing at 2 p.m. Saturday. Officers have searched the girl’s northwest Hickory neighborhood with K-9 units but they have not found Zahara Clare Baker.

Maria Claxton, of a local search dog team, led her dog behind crime scene tape and throughout the stacks of firewood and brush in the Bakers’ backyard while their pit bulls strained at their leashes and whined. Then she took the dog to the Bakers’ Chevy Suburban and Toyota Celica, into the crawl space under the family’s house and inside the home. The search turned up nothing.

Zahara’s father and stepmother, Adam and Elisa Baker reported her missing from her home at 21 21st Avenue NW, and told police they’d last seen her sleeping in her bed at about 2:20 a.m. Saturday.

Police interviewed the Bakers for several hours early in the investigation and officers are working to corroborate their statements.

They were allowed to leave the police station after their interview. During their investigation, officers discovered inconsistencies in the Bakers’ story and the couple has not been ruled out as suspects in their daughter’s disappearance.

Elisa Baker was arrested at about 10:45 a.m. Sunday on nine unrelated warrants and charges.

Six counts of worthless checks in Catawba County
Six counts of worthless checks in Caldwell County
Failure to return rental property in Caldwell County
Larceny by employee in Burke County
Failure to appear on three counts of communicating threats in Caldwell County
Failure to appear on charges of driving without a license and unsafe tires in Caldwell County

Police initially suspected that a stranger might have abducted Zahara. New information has surfaced and stranger abduction appears less likely, though no possibilities have been ruled out at this point, said Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins.

Zahara is about 5-feet 1-inch tall and weighs about 85 pounds. She is deaf and has a prosthetic left leg. Her prosthesis is missing, but her hearing aids were left behind in her home.

“It is highly uncharacteristic for her to leave home without her hearing aids,” said Captain Thurman Whisnant of the Hickory Police Department. “According to the interviews we’ve conducted, it’s very unlikely for her to leave her house without her parents.”

“We are deeply concerned for the welfare of Zahara, but remain hopeful that we will locate her safe and unharmed,” Adkins said.
“We are deeply concerned for the welfare of Zahara, but remain hopeful that we will locate her safe and unharmed,” Adkins said.

The FBI is assisting Hickory Police Investigators in their search for Zahara. An Amber Alert will be in place until she is found.

Zahara’s biological mother is an Australian native and has not seen her daughter since she was about eight months old. She is believed to be in Australia and is not considered a suspect, Whisnant said.

Anyone with information about Zahara’s whereabouts is asked to call the Hickory Police Department at 328-5551.

Police in NC seek missing girl, question stepmom

(AP)–2 hours agoHICKORY, N.C. — Police in North Carolina are searching for a missing, hearing-impaired 10-year-old girl with an artificial leg, and they have arrested her stepmother on unrelated charges.Police in Hickory said Zahra Clare Baker was reported missing Saturday afternoon. Her father and stepmother told police they last saw her sleeping in her bed.A police spokesman said Elisa Baker was arrested Sunday on more than a dozen charges in cases unrelated to the disappearance of her stepdaughter. They include communicating threats, writing worthless checks, larceny and driving with a revoked license. It was unclear whether she has an attorney. There was no telephone listing for the Bakers.Investigators said Zahra's father and stepmother were interviewed about her disappearance.Zahra has a prosthetic left leg from the knee down.
This poor girl

Annabeth wrote:Tom how come they issued an Amber Alert, thought they needed more info before they did this.....never issued one on Haleigh or Kyron....hmmmm

---I think what we are seeing here is one of the differences between STATE Amber Alerts and NATIONAL Amber Alerts. Different states have different criteria for issuing one that's effective only for their state and they can seek duplicity with other states that are possibly connected to the case. For instance, if a case had beginnings in Michigan but the possible destination was New York, MIchigan could issue an Amber Alert for their state and ask for cooperation from NY and all states in between. It would seem that a statewide alert isn't as stringent with its requirements as the National one is.

Authorities said Sunday that "a stranger abduction is less likely than once anticipated" in the case of a missing 10-year-old North Carolina girl.Zahra Clare Baker was reported to have last been seen sleeping in her bedroom about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. She was reported missing from her Hickory, North Carolina, home about 2 p.m. Saturday by her father, Adam Baker, and stepmother, Elisa Baker."Although nothing is being ruled out at this point, there have been details that have surfaced in the past 12 hours indicating that a stranger abduction is less likely than once anticipated," Hickory police said in a statement Sunday. An Amber Alert was issued for Zahra on Saturday and will remain in effect until the girl is located, police said. "We are deeply concerned for the welfare of Zahra but remain hopeful that we will locate her safe and unharmed," the statement said.The Bakers were interviewed early in the investigation, and investigators are following leads to corroborate statements the two made to authorities, police said.Elisa Baker was arrested Sunday morning "on outstanding charges not related to this case," the statement said. "Inconsistencies developed over the course of this investigation have not eliminated her as a person of interest."Zahra is described as being about 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing 85 pounds. She has a prosthetic left leg and also is hearing impaired, requiring hearing aids that she does not have with her, police said.Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins told reporters he believes it is very unlikely the girl would have left the house on her own accord. He also said there was a small fire reported at the residence the morning Zahra is thought to have vanished. It was unclear what connection, if any, the fire might have to the girl's disappearance.The FBI is assisting Hickory police in the investigation, officials said. Members of the public who have information were asked to contact the Hickory Police Department.

it is very unlikely the girl would have left the house on her own accord.

Well of course she didn't run off without her prosthetic leg!! Wouldn't get very FF far. This isn't going to end well I fear

kiwimom wrote:it is very unlikely the girl would have left the house on her own accord.

Well of course she didn't run off without her prosthetic leg!! Wouldn't get very FF far. This isn't going to end well I fear

---According to earlier reports the hearing aids were left behind but the prosthetic leg was nowhere to be found.

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The father of a hearing-impaired North Carolina girl who vanished over the weekend says it could be possible that his wife is involved in the disappearance.Adam Baker said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that he last saw his 10-year-old daughter Zahra Clare Baker on Thursday night.The girl's stepmother, Elisa Baker, is in police custody on about a dozen charges unrelated to the disappearance. Zahra was reported missing by her parents on Saturday afternoon in Hickory in western North Carolina.Adam Baker says his wife told him that she last saw Zahra sleeping in her bed about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. A fire was reported in the backyard of the Bakers' home about 5 a.m. Saturday.Adam Baker says he hasn't seen much of his wife since police were called.Zahra has a prosthetic leg from the knee down and wears hearing aids that are not with her.If you have any information regarding this abduction, call the Hickory Police Department immediately at (828) 328-5551, or call 911 or *HP.