Cori Baker 13 Missing-presumed dead-Oklahoma(BODY FOUND)

[bleachedblack]

Cadaver dogs used in search for missing Tulsa teen

Associated Press - February 21, 2008 8:55 AM
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Searchers looking for the body of a missing 13-year-old Tulsa girl are to return to an area near a cemetery in Broken Arrow today where they say cadaver dogs hit on one location.

The body of Cori Baker was not found in the area but officials say a nearby drainage area will be drained and searched today.

The girl hasn't been seen since November 9th when she left Union Alternative School after classes with a man matching the description of her sister's boyfriend - Marquis Bullock.

Bullock has been arrested and is charged with murder in the case.

http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=7903942

[bleachedblack]

Missing girl's father critical of Tulsa police

Thu February 21, 2008
TULSA — The father of a 13-year-old girl missing for more than three months criticized the Tulsa Police Department Thursday, saying the force was not interested in finding his daughter due to politics.

Danny Baker, with a self-proclaimed psychic at his side, held a news conference in which police participation was called into question and help in the ongoing search was sought.

"A little 13-year-old girl is dead," the father said angrily.

He went on to say police are "interested in not finding Cori" because of politics and an election year.

Jeff Baker, a self-proclaimed psychic from Colorado who is not related to the family, has helped Cori's family search this week. He read a prepared statement that indicated the family's extreme disappointment in Cori's case and claimed police have "been extremely inactive in the case" and have only "marginally participated in one or two searches" since Cori disappeared Nov. 9.

Prior to the news conference, Det. Sgt. Mike Huff, head of the Tulsa police homicide unit, said he wishes the family the best of luck in their search, but police "have to be concerned with facts, not visions."

>>>the complete article
http://newsok.com/article/3207232/1203639088

[bleachedblack]

Search resumes for Tulsa girl missing, presumed dead

February 23, 2008

http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=7914884

[bleachedblack]

Missing Girl Seen Fighting With Suspect

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Posted: 11:05 a.m.
Police have announced that a motorist saw a girl fighting with the man who is accused of killing her on the day of her disappearance.

Sgt. Mike Huff says the information is a significant lead into the whereabouts of Cori Baker, 13, who has been missing since November 9, 2007 and is believed to be dead.

Marquis Bullock, Cori's older sister's boyfriend, is currently charged with killing her.

>>>the complete story
http://www.ksbitv.com/home/15983497.html

[Nut44x4]

Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
 
March 5, 2008 Wednesday

 
New lead sparks missing-girl case
 
A new lead in the case of a 13-year-old girl who is missing and presumed dead has refocused the search for her body.

Sgt. Mike Huff said a witness has told police that she saw Marquis Bullock driving recklessly alone soon after another witness saw him fighting with Cori Baker in his car.

Bullock picked up Cori from Union Alternative School, 5656 S. 129th East Ave., in his red Pontiac Firebird about 2:10 p.m. Nov. 9.

Bullock, who was Cori's older sister's boyfriend, is charged with killing her.

The new lead was developed within the last week after a woman saw news reports about the case, Huff said.

In those reports, police said a man saw Bullock scuffling with Cori in a red Firebird at 71st Street and Riverside Parkway about 4:20 p.m. the day she disappeared. The scuffling caused Bullock to run a red light and nearly collide with the man's vehicle, Huff said.

The witness said he last saw the red car going north on Riverside near 68th Street.

"We got another call from another credible witness who said she saw him in that same car that same day," Huff said.

This new witness said she saw Bullock between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m. at eastbound Interstate 44 and Elwood Avenue. She said Bullock appeared to be alone and was driving erratically, nearly running the witness off the road, Huff said.

"We are refocusing our efforts in the area along the west side of the riverbank," he said.

Detectives were assessing what kind of resources would be needed to search the wooded terrain.

"This lead is helping to narrow the time frame and the location," Huff said. "This information has a lot of potential."

Multiple searches, which originated in and near the Arkansas River but later expanded to other parts of the Tulsa area, have been conducted by police officers, firefighters, relatives, professional search groups and volunteers.

Anyone who saw the red Firebird on Nov. 9 or who saw anything suspicious is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 596-COPS.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:755641457&start=3

[Nut44x4]

Officials search river anew for missing girl
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=11&articleID=20080314_1_A16_spanc04352

3/14/2008


Authorities took advantage of low water levels in the Arkansas River on Thursday to search for a Tulsa teenager who has been missing since November.

Police officers, sheriff's deputies and firefighters searched in the riverbed and areas near the river between the 4500 block and 6000 block of Riverside Drive, hoping to find the body of Cori Baker or clues about her disappearance.

Cori, 13, has been missing since Nov. 9, when police say her older sister's boyfriend, Marquis Bullock, picked her up from Union Alternative School.

Bullock was arrested and has been charged with Cori's murder.

Law enforcement officers, firefighters, relatives, volunteers and a self-proclaimed psychic have all searched ex tensively for Cori but have turned up very little.

Searchers have scoured the river for clues before, but the low water levels Thursday provided another opportunity to search. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had shut off the water upstream for repairs at the Keystone Dam.

About 50 law enforcement officers and firefighters searched between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the riverbed, the bank and nearby hills and wooded areas, said Tulsa Police Officer Jason Willingham.

They found some clothing, but it doesn't appear to match what Cori was wearing the day she disappeared, he said.

Searchers also found bones in the area, but the Medical Examiner's Office determined that they were deer bones, Willingham said.

Barring a tip or new evidence, police won't continue to search the area Friday, he said.

"We feel we've adequately searched this section of the river," Willingham said, adding that police are hopeful that more tips will come in.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 596-COPS.

[Nut44x4]

Trial ordered in case of missing girl
Mar. 18--A Tulsa man must face trial on a charge of murdering 13-year-old Cori Baker although her body has not been found, a Tulsa County judge ruled Monday.

After a preliminary hearing, Special Judge David Youll decided that he had heard sufficient evidence to order Marquis Milton Bullock held for trial on a first-degree murder charge.

Assistant District Attorney Bill Musseman said evidence indicates that Cori "has fallen off the face of the earth" since Nov. 9, when she was last seen with Bullock.

Bullock's attorney, Kathy Fry, said no witness testified at the hearing that "Cori is in fact dead."

The charge of first-degree murder requires the prosecution to prove not only a death but that the death was unlawful and was caused by the defendant, Fry asserted.

Musseman pointed to evidence that Bullock lied to police and gave varying accounts of his activities on Nov. 9.

In overruling Fry's challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, Youll noted that the evidence at a preliminary hearing -- where the determination is whether there is "probable cause" to believe that a defendant committed a crime -- is to be viewed

in a light most favorable to the prosecution.

Cori's family members packed the courtroom, many of them wearing pink shirts that said "Justice for Cori."

Bullock, who was the boyfriend of Cori's older sister, Courtney Baker, is accused of murdering Cori after picking her up from her school, Union Alternative School, 5656 S. 129th East Ave., on the afternoon of Nov. 9.

Cori has been missing since that day and is presumed dead. At Monday's hearing, friends and family members indicated that they have not seen or heard from her since her disappearance.

Bullock, who turned 19 in January, was arrested late Nov. 12. He was booked on Nov. 13 into the Tulsa Jail, where he is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Tulsa Police Detective Vic Regalado testified Monday that he questioned Bullock Nov. 12 in connection with a missing person report involving Cori.

Regalado said he had information that Bullock had picked her up at school in his red Pontiac Firebird but that Bullock said, "Absolutely not."

"He was adamantly denying he picked her up," Regalado said.

During questioning, Bullock made the unsolicited statement that "I would never look at Cori that way. She's my girlfriend's sister. She's only 13," the detective testified.

After Bullock was arrested for murder, he indicated on Nov. 13 that he had picked Cori up around 2:10 p.m. Nov. 9 and dropped her off at a bus stop about a block from her home.

Bullock subsequently said he had picked Cori up and that they went to the west bank of the Arkansas River, where she fell into the river and "disappeared under the water," Regalado testified.

On Nov. 15, Bullock indicated that he wanted to talk and "wanted to tell the truth," the investigator said.

Bullock then said he had not gone with Cori to the river but had taken her to the apartment that he shared with her sister.

He indicated that Courtney Baker left with Cori and took her to an unknown location because of problems involving a man who was a friend of their father's, according to Regalado.

Defense attorney Fry argued that statements attributed to Bullock should be suppressed as evidence because they were not given voluntarily.

In a written motion, Fry maintained that the statements were obtained "through physical and verbal coercion by law enforcement."

Regalado and Detective MIke Nance testified Monday that they did not coerce or threaten Bullock. In response to a prosecutor's question, Nance said the Police Department did not beat or abuse Bullock.

Youll denied the motion to suppress the statements and declined a defense request that he review the recordings of those police interviews.

Youll noted that the defense will be able to pursue a challenge to the admissibility of the defendant's statements before the prospective trial judge, District Judge Clancy Smith.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:761842353&start=3

[Nut44x4]

Officials say it could be that of a missing 13-year-old, Cori Baker
Police plan search after skull found

3/23/2008
SAPULPA — Tulsa police plan to organize a search for a missing teen after a skull was discovered in Creek County Friday evening.

The state Medical Examiner’s Office determined Saturday that the skull was human, authorities said.

Police say it could belong to Cori Baker, 13, who has been missing since November.

“We’re considering this a strong lead,” said Tulsa Police Sgt. Mike Huff.

Huff said witnesses had reported seeing the suspect in Baker’s disappearance in the area previously. Investigators also have other information that has them interested in searching the area, Huff said, but he declined to provide more details.

Daniel Baker, Cori’s father, said that police had notified him about the discovery of the skull on Saturday.

“I believe it’s her,” Daniel Baker said.

The Tulsa Police Department is coordinating with the Creek County Sheriff’s Office to start a search early next week, Huff said.

Creek County deputies were called at 5:15 p.m. Friday to a wooded area near 49th West Avenue and the Creek Turnpike, where a skull had been found, said Cpl. Joe Thompson.

The skull belongs to someone under the age of 25, but the person’s gender had not been determined, he said.

Baker was last seen alive Nov. 9, when her older sister’s boyfriend, Marquis Bullock, picked her up from her school.

A Tulsa County judge ruled March 17 that Bullock must face trial on a charge of firstdegree murder in Cori’s disappearance.

Bullock, who turned 19 in January, was arrested late Nov. 12. He was booked on Nov. 13 into the Tulsa Jail, where he is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Bullock has given multiple accounts of what happened the day that Cori disappeared.

Tulsa Police Detective Vic Regalado testified during a preliminary hearing that Bullock denied picking Cori up from school when he was questioned Nov. 12. After Bullock was arrested for murder, he indicated on Nov. 13 that he had picked Cori up around 2:10 p.m. Nov. 9 and dropped her off at a bus stop about a block from her home. Bullock subsequently said he had picked Cori up and that they went to the west bank of the Arkansas River, where she fell into the river and “disappeared under the water,” Regalado testified. Bullock later told investigators that he had not gone with Cori to the river but had taken her to the apartment that he shared with her sister.

Law enforcement officers, firefighters, relatives, volunteers and a self-proclaimed psychic have all searched extensively for Cori but have turned up very little.

Searchers have scoured the Arkansas River several times for clues.

Witnesses have also told police they that they saw Bullock fighting with Baker in his car near 71st Street and Riverside Parkway and later driving recklessly and alone at eastbound Interstate 44 and Elwood Avenue.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=11&articleID=20080323_1_A1_hOffi67120

[Nut44x4]

M.E. confirms remains those of missing 13-year-old girlCori Baker Medical examiners have identified remains found at a Creek County paintball facility last Friday as Cori Baker.

The 13-year-old girl went missing November 2007.

Friday, a skull was found at the paintball facility, located at 10242 South 49th West Avenue.

Witnesses say Baker left the Union Alternative School with her sister's boyfriend the day she disappeared.

That man, Marquis Bullock, now 19, faces charges of murder and kidnapping. He remains jailed without bond.

Baker reportedly told friends that Bullock was going to take her to the mall to get a Christmas present for her sister.

Police documents obtained by 2NEWS indicate that Bullock gave several conflicting statements about where he was and what clothing he wore the day Cori disappeared.

The arrest report indicates that Bullock's description matches that of the man seen picking the girl up from school, and his vehicle -- a red Firebird -- was caught on tape at the school parking lot.

In subsequent months, witnesses came forward and said they saw the pair in Bullock's car, heading south along Riverside Drive.


http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/breaking/...f1-3d9ba6dda937

[Nut44x4]

sorry.....the link in the post above isn't working.

use this
http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/breaking/story.aspx?content_id=ff01f9b8-b2f6-46a1-89f1-3d9ba6dda937

[pdh3]

Not unexpected.....but still very sad. At least her family can lay her to rest now.

[Nut44x4]

Updated with Baker Family's statements: More bones, clothing found in search for girl's remains


By Staff Reports
3/25/2008
Last Modified: 3/26/2008  9:43 AM
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080325_1__Moreb35817

More bones and clothing were found Tuesday at and around a Creek County paintball facility where a missing 13-year-old Tulsa girl's skull was discovered.

Cori Baker's father, Danny Baker, released this statement Tuesday: "After endless hours of prayer and searching, the Baker family is relieved that Cori has been found. Although we knew this day would be coming for a long time, it represents a finality that we are experiencing with great grief and sadness. We need time to be quiet and allow the healing process to begin.

"Information on Cori's funeral services will be announced sometime in the next few weeks, and another statement from the family will be released at that time."

About 100 searchers from many law enforcement agencies fanned out across the wooded area west of 49 West Avenue and north of the Creek Turnpike in search of more remains of Cori Baker, Officer Jason Willingham said.

The Medical Examiner's Office positively identified a skull and other remains that were found Friday evening at Paintball Adventure Games as belonging to the girl. Cori has been missing since Nov. 9.

Marquis Bullock, who picked her up from school that day, is charged with first-degree murder in her death. Bullock was identified as the boyfriend of Cori's sister.

Les Miller, owner of Paintball Adventure Games, said Tuesday that the remains were found spread out over about 5 acres.

Miller said that Bullock had been to his facility in October for a birthday party with the Baker family. Cori was not there that day, he said.

[Nut44x4]

Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
 
May 11, 2008 Sunday 
 
Slain teen mourned, celebrated at service: Cori Baker, who vanished Nov. 9, is remembered by many as a helpful friend.
 
Deon Hampton, Tulsa World, Okla.
 

May 11--More than 200 people attended a "celebration of life" for Cori Baker on Saturday, more than six months after her disappearance and slaying.

Her boyfriend, Ben Woodham, 15, is still upset that Cori, 13, is gone.

"I never thought a young kid like me would have to go through something like this," he said shortly before the service. "Losing a girl like Cori is like losing your (own) life."

Cori disappeared after allegedly being picked up from school by her sister's boyfriend Nov. 9. Officials and hundreds of volunteers combed the Tulsa area for her repeatedly.

Her remains were discovered March 21 in a wooded area in Creek County.

Marquis Bullock, 18, is charged with first-degree murder in Cori's death.

Those who attended the service for Cori, at the Green Country Event Center, said they would miss their friend.

"She was like a sister," said one of her schoolmates, Bryce Benz, 15. "Whenever I was upset, she would help me out. She was always there for everyone."

The memorial included songs of praise

and a message by Robert Gates, the pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd in Sapulpa, which Cori attended.

Gates recounted a story about how Cori was having breakfast one morning when a school bus arrived in front of her home.

She ran outdoors and pointed a finger in the air, signaling the driver to "wait a minute," he said.

Cori went back inside to finish eating, and the bus driver waited for her, Gates said.

"That's Cori, a youngster who loved life," he said.

Cori's sister, Courtney Baker, 19, said that coping with her sister's death and a murder charge against her former boyfriend is difficult.

"It's hard being caught in the middle because we have a baby together," she said before the service. "But I hope that he gets what he deserves."

Courtney Baker also said the timing of the memorial was hard.

"Tuesday is Cori's birthday," she said. "We should be planning her party, not a funeral."
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:789473860&start=4

[Xts]

This case reminds me so much of Amber Barker, missing from Oklahoma 1997.  She was 10?  Her older sister's boyfriend is believed to have taken her.  It's said he was found hanging by a tree at a lake (forget the lake but maybe Draper or similar, it wasn't Overholser or Hefner).  They found a shoe with some blood on it, allegedly.  The mom has since moved.  Apparently the older sister's boyfriend and the older sister were not getting along and he is said to have taken Amber.  They searched but she was never found.  It's almost like folks have forgotten her here.  I have not, I cannot.   She had lived 2 blocks from me.  It makes it a little hard to forget also since she had the sweetest smile.  Cori's last name is Baker, Amber's is Barker.  Both taken by older sister's boyfriend.  10 Years apart.  I'm not saying there's a connection but I am saying there's a coincidence.

Here's a link to her poster (Amber Barker) http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&orgPrefix=NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US&caseNum=841456

I'm not sure why some of the above was not said with her poster or anywhere.  Amber kept telling her mom that her sister's boyfriend was (I can't remember if it was harrassing her or following her, thinking both).  She did voice her concern prior to her disappearance.  I feel for their families.
PS. Amber lived in OKC

[Nut44x4]

Reward money not paid

9/29/2008

$5,000 OFFERED: NEW STIPULATION

When Zach Searle found Cori Baker's skull in March at the Creek County paintball facility where he worked, he didn't know that a reward had been offered for discovering her body.

Although the Jenks High School student suspected that the skull belonged to the 13-year-old Tulsa girl who had been missing since Nov. 9, his only concern was to do the right thing and contact the authorities.

It was only days later that he was told by friends that a $5,000 reward had been offered to anyone who had information leading to the location of Cori's body, he said.

About six months have passed since Searle, then 15, discovered Cori's remains, but he has not received any reward.

"I have made numerous phone calls (to police) and got nowhere," said Diane Searle, Zach's mother. "Nobody knows where the money is."

Police do not have the money and never did.

Officer Jason Willingham, who coordinates the Crime Stoppers program for the Tulsa Police Department, said police and the Crime Commission were not involved in offering the $5,000 reward because the Baker family wanted to let private donors offer it.

If the Searles have a grievance about not receiving the $5,000, they should contact the Bakers, he added.

The Searles have not contacted the Baker family and have no intention of doing so.

"They have been through a lot, but they obviously know who put the money out there," said Diane Searle.

Hundreds of people spent many hours over several months searching for Cori, and last December, the Bakers helped distribute fliers that said "a $5,000 reward has been offered for the person or persons who can give the exact location of her body."

The flier also said people could make donations to help "defray family expenses and direct costs for the search" for Cori.

Danny Baker, Cori's father, said someone outside the immediate family raised the money for the reward.

He said recently that it was his understanding from talking to the donors that to receive the reward, a recipient would have had to have been told by Marquis Bullock where the body was.

Bullock, Cori's older sister's boyfriend, was arrested Nov. 12 in connection with Cori's apparent homicide. He was charged with first-degree murder Dec. 13 — three months before her remains were found — and is scheduled to stand trial March 9.

In previous interviews with the media, Baker did not include the stipulation that the information must have come by way of Bullock.

The Tulsa World reported Dec. 21 that the $5,000 reward from private donors was being offered for specific information that leads to the discovery of Cori's body and that Danny Baker said his family hoped that the reward might bring tips about where her body is.

The Dec. 25 edition of The Oklahoman quoted Baker directly, saying that "we have raised a $5,000 reward to anyone that has information that leads us to Cori's body."

Baker told the Tulsa World recently that while he is very appreciative that Searle found his daughter's remains, he has no say as to whether the teenager should receive the reward.

"If I had $5,000, I would give it to him in a heartbeat," he said. "I am not trying to short-change him."

Detective Mike Nance, who investigated the homicide, said Searle should be commended for performing his civic duty when he contacted his supervisors at the paintball facility, who then notified the police about the remains.

"He did a great thing," Nance said. "It's certainly been great evidence for this investigation."

Diane Searle agrees, saying, "I think he deserves something."

Her son is not angry about not receiving the reward, but he is surprised that someone would offer a reward and then not pay it.

A junior in high school, Zach Searle is making plans for his future.

He is still working at the paintball facility, but he needs more money for college and to buy a car.

"It's kind of weird how they could post something like that and nothing go through," he said.

"It's just something that you don't expect."
http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleID=20080929_11_A13_ZachSe843103

Zach Searle, 16, shows the spot where he found Cori Baker's skull in March near Sapulpa. Searle has not received a reward offered in Cori's case.

[Nut44x4]

Last Modified: 2/17/2009  3:39 AM
Hunt for teen's remains turns up bones
They will be tested to see whether they belong to Cori Baker. National experts joined the search.

More skeletal remains that may belong to Cori Baker, a Tulsa girl who investigators believe was slain by her sister's boyfriend in 2007, were found during the weekend.
National experts in missing-persons investigations assisted Tulsa police with another search at the scene where some of Cori's remains had been found.

Cori, 13, disappeared Nov. 9, 2007, after she reportedly was seen in Tulsa with Marquis Bullock.

He is awaiting trial on a first-degree murder charge.

Some of her remains were found March 21 at a paintball course near the Creek Turnpike and 49th West Avenue in Creek County. More of her remains were found there on subsequent days.

A medical examiner's report listed her cause of death as undetermined and categorized the manner of death as unknown.

This past weekend, authorities found a molar, rib bone and other small bones or pieces of bones.

"We can't definitely say that they are hers without DNA testing. We are assuming that they are," Police Maj. Matt Kirkland said.

The expert assistance included specially trained dogs and their handlers from Team Adam with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Team Adam provides on-site assistance to law enforcement agencies and families in cases of missing, abducted or exploited children.

John McPhail, a former police officer who is a forensic registered nurse with NecroSearch International, also helped with the search. NecroSearch is a nonprofit organization of scientists and investigators who volunteer their services.

"It was founded back in about 1987, and a group of law enforcement, scientists and academics started it with the idea to try and assist law enforcement on cases to find a better way to discover someone who has been buried and be able to not only recover the remains, but the evidence as well," McPhail said.

Kirkland said police have searched the Creek County site about a half-dozen times, and he did not rule out future searches.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090217_11_A1_LisaHi749007&allcom=1