Zahra Clare Baker #7 11/11/10 - 11/15/10

[crazybabyborg]

I was on Facebook's "The Zahra Project" and just wanted to share a picture and caption posted a few minutes ago. The caption reads:

"I live in Hickory and my daughter took this photo about 30 minutes ago. I think this a symbol to represent Zahra a Pink Cross in the sky on the night they have confirmed the worst."

[KCJackie]

I was on Facebook's "The Zahra Project" and just wanted to share a picture and caption posted a few minutes ago. The caption reads:

"I live in Hickory and my daughter took this photo about 30 minutes ago. I think this a symbol to represent Zahra a Pink Cross in the sky on the night they have confirmed the worst."

  Just Beautiful 

[Claycat]

As my post earlier I went out to our local plant nursery planning to purchase a native Daisy to commemorate Zahra as that was the only flower I had seen mentioned with regards to her likes and dislikes. I wandered through the rows of native plants but did not feel "comfortable" with any of them.  As I was leaving that section I felt drawn to a small display of the sweetest miniature white roses.  I chose one and it is now smiling at me through my window.

After planting the rose I came inside and read here and saw where Northern Rose had posted that the Daisy came from the Baker clan's posts and Emily and friends had chosen a white rose for their flower.  More than coincidence I feel?

 

Zahra was guiding you, Tibrogargan! 

[Sister]

As my post earlier I went out to our local plant nursery planning to purchase a native Daisy to commemorate Zahra as that was the only flower I had seen mentioned with regards to her likes and dislikes. I wandered through the rows of native plants but did not feel "comfortable" with any of them.  As I was leaving that section I felt drawn to a small display of the sweetest miniature white roses.  I chose one and it is now smiling at me through my window.

After planting the rose I came inside and read here and saw where Northern Rose had posted that the Daisy came from the Baker clan's posts and Emily and friends had chosen a white rose for their flower.  More than coincidence I feel?

 

Divine intervention, I say.  Lovely story, and may you enjoy Zahra's miniature white roses for many years to come.

Absolutely . . . nothing by chance . . . what God has ordained . . .

[Sister]

I was on Facebook's "The Zahra Project" and just wanted to share a picture and caption posted a few minutes ago. The caption reads:

"I live in Hickory and my daughter took this photo about 30 minutes ago. I think this a symbol to represent Zahra a Pink Cross in the sky on the night they have confirmed the worst."

Nothing by chance!

[klaasend]

[Kat_Gram]

I fluctuate between feeling sadness and anger. I asked my daughter if she wanted to take a car ride to Hickory. Then I asked her if she had a rope. That's my mood. We want to send a card to Emily and someone will have a c/o addy. I was going to make a donation to the children's oncology centre here for their Christmas party before this case happened. I already donated to the one here for general funds because they were so good to me there. The children's donation will be increased in memory of Zahra.
...
I don't think Elisa did the work of the disposal, I think he took her to his workplace and used some tools of his trade on her. Took her around in his mulch pile stuff and did the hiding.
...
How that Adam could be walking around and her relatives giving him shelter is beyond me.
And, his brother in AU, supporting him , UGH, they must all be just sickos. 

[Green Eyes]

I was on Facebook's "The Zahra Project" and just wanted to share a picture and caption posted a few minutes ago. The caption reads:

"I live in Hickory and my daughter took this photo about 30 minutes ago. I think this a symbol to represent Zahra a Pink Cross in the sky on the night they have confirmed the worst."

That is Beautiful  Thank you CBB for bringing it over.

[Desdemona]

Waaaaaaaaah!  <snif!>  Oh, Klaas... how poignant.

 

Rest in peace, sweet little brave Aussie girl!

[cookie]

Our local media is also reporting that human remains have been found and are probably those of Zahra.  Such heartbreaking news even though we have all been wanting a resolution to her whereabouts.

Also being reported that Zahra’s mother Emily has arrived in Hickory with an Australian news crew. Her delay in going to the US was caused by waiting for her passport to be issued.  Not holding a passport already would mean Emily has never travelled outside Australia before and I think it is very astute of her to travel with a news crew which will afford her protection from the public and other news media, as well as smoothing all other details which can be daunting for a first time traveller such as connecting flights, shuttle travel and accommodation and so on.  At least there are no language difficulties to face.

I have been aghast to read some of the bashing of Emily and now also the involvement of the Aust news group that has been posted on other sites.  I am sure the monkeys will not contribute posts displaying such unkind feelings here.  It never fails to amaze me how many folk there are in the world who, according to their own words,  have lived such perfect lives and can now sit back and throw stones at others that have made less than stellar decisions in their respective lives.  None of us can truly say what we may or may not have done in any situation unless we have faced exactly the same trauma.  Walk a mile in my shoes - - goes the old saying.

I know there are many folk in the US that will show kindness and understanding to Emily and I  look forward to any reports that may be published here from the Aussie point of view and will link them here.

One of the things I have most admired about Scared Monkeys is that we are all free to express our opinions without fear of being excoriated or shushed,  sort of like our First Amendment rights under the US Constitution.  Certainly most people here who come into contact with Zahra's biological mother will be kind to her, as would I were I in that position.  Being kind to her, however, would not indicate my approval, which in any case, she doesn't need. I do not know the woman as you seem to indicate that you do. It appears that Zahra's life has been taken.  It is a great tragedy that this precious brave child had no one to protect her.

skipping ahead as I am wayyyy behind on this thread...
BabyBear...I wanted to express the same thing...you said it better than I could have...I may not agree with everyone or every thing that is said, but I respect their right to feel the way that they feel...and their right to say what they feel ..

[Northern Rose]

Emotions run high as mom visits memorial for Zahra Baker (with video)

HICKORY, N.C.-- Zahra Baker's biological mother, who lives in Australia, has traveled to Hickory.

She hasn't seen much of Zahra since her daughter's birth but a mother's pain still runs deep.

It took Emily Dietrich a minute or two to gather the strength to walk across the street and see the words and gifts growing by the day at the memorial at the Baker's Hickory home.

Dietrich gives out a gasp, looking at the overwhelming outpouring of love and support for her daughter Zahra Baker.

Feelings Dietrich had to experience in person.

Living half-a-world away in Australia and watching the search for Zahra unfold on television just wasn't close enough.

"It  kind of makes me happy I'm not alone, sad something like this could happen," says Dietrich as she reads some of the letters left for her daughter.

"No ten year old should  have to write a letter like this," says Dietrich

"She's had her moments good and bad," says Robert Ovadia, a television news reporter from 7 News Australia, who has been chronicling Emily's emotional pilgrimage.

"She was tore up, tore her apart," Ovadia says.

He also says the trip has given Dietrich a sense of empowerment.

Dietrich gave Zahra up after suffering from post partum depression.

She finally started searching for Zahra - and found her alive in Hickory.

Three days later Zahra's father and step-mother reported her missing.

Shortly after that, police said Zahra was murdered.

Now, mom found daughter, forging a connection through tears, pain and a quest for answers.
http://www.wcnc.com/news/Emotions-run-high-as-mom-visits-memorial-for-Zahra-Baker-107577783.html

[faith1109]

Such a sad day for all of us monkeys... hugs all around.  CW and Sister, may peace be with you both in your time of grief.  Such beautiful work here today from Monkey King, Brandi, Klassend, and many others.  It helps and matters so much!  These little tributes so beautiful with their intricate details so lovingly thought out.  Taking care to pay their respects properly to Zahra like she was their own.  We all feel that here.  We would have all done anything we could to save her, but were not given the opportunity. 

So, today when we were given the news her little body was found,you monkeys are taking care of her the only way you can.  What you are doing is full of goodness and light.  It helps to overcome the dark and evil she experienced in her short tragic life.  I know there are many who feel this and are sending this to her in heaven right now!

[cookie]

As my post earlier I went out to our local plant nursery planning to purchase a native Daisy to commemorate Zahra as that was the only flower I had seen mentioned with regards to her likes and dislikes. I wandered through the rows of native plants but did not feel "comfortable" with any of them.  As I was leaving that section I felt drawn to a small display of the sweetest miniature white roses.  I chose one and it is now smiling at me through my window.

After planting the rose I came inside and read here and saw where Northern Rose had posted that the Daisy came from the Baker clan's posts and Emily and friends had chosen a white rose for their flower.  More than coincidence I feel?

 

      

very sweet Tibro...xxxx

[Northern Rose]

Police: Remains Are Believed To Be Zahra's

Updated: 8:15 pm EST November 12, 2010

HICKORY, N.C. -- Hickory police have recovered enough evidence to believe that they found the remains of missing 10-year-old Zahra Baker.

"I've been dreading this moment since early on in this investigation," Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said in a news conference held late Friday afternoon. "We've recovered enough physical evidence to believe we have found Zahra."

Adkins said remains that were recovered on Wednesday in the Dudley Shoals area are consistent with those of a child. The remains have been sent to the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification, he added.

In addition, DNA evidence from a bone found on Nov. 3 in the Christie Road area of Caldwell County matched a DNA sample taken from 10-year-old Zahra's home, Adkins said. A DNA profile for Zahra is being created from cheek swabs taken from her biological mother and father so that a positive identification can be made, according to Adkins.

Zahra was reported missing on Oct. 9.

Zahra’s father and stepmother reported her missing at about 2 p.m. on Oct. 9, telling Hickory police officers that they last saw her sleeping in her bedroom at about 2:30 a.m. (Click here to listen to the 911 call.) An Amber Alert was issued and a massive search for Zahra ensued.



On Oct. 12, Adkins announced the cancellation of the Amber Alert and the decision to investigate Zahra’s disappearance as a homicide. Zahra, who was hearing impaired and used a prosthetic leg after losing hers to bone cancer, was last seen by someone other than a family member on Sept. 25, police said.

An exhaustive search for evidence proceeded, spanning three counties and several locations. Investigators searched a wood pile in Burke County, two ponds, the Bakers’ Hickory home, a Caldwell County landfill, the rural area off Christie Road and a creek and its surrounding banks in the Dudley Shoals area.

On Oct. 26, police found Zahra’s prosthetic leg off Christie Road and also located a mattress matching the description of one belonging to Zahra in the Caldwell County landfill. The mattress was sent away for further examination.

Zahra’s stepmother, Elisa Baker, has been in jail over the course of the investigation. She was charged with felony obstruction of justice after police said she admitted to writing a fake ransom note.

Her father, Adam Baker, was arrested on Oct. 25 on charges unrelated to Zahra’s disappearance. He was later released on bond.

No one has been charged in Zahra's disappearance.

Adkins stressed that the investigation is still developing, but said the information released from now on will be very limited. He said investigators understand the public's interest in the case, but must avoid jeopardizing future criminal proceedings.

He said the case has been difficult for all of the investigators and agents who have worked on it.

"Investigators, agents, officers and staff who worked on this case are devastated that we were not able to find Zahra alive and bring her home safely," Adkins said.

He added: "Today, our community mourns, our state mourns, the nation mourns and the world mourns."

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/25775330/detail.html

[cookie]

I don't believe these actions against Zahra could stand. I honestly believe that her Mother had Divine help to discover Zahra's whereabouts when she did because those actions would not be allowed to get murky with time.

If that is true, and I believe it is, then may she take comfort knowing that Zahra was never alone. The same hand that guided her always held Zahra's, and you can bet your soul that no evil that befell her has one ounce of power over her now.

Zahra is sliding down rainbows and is amidst children's laughter under the smiling eyes of eternal love. She is lovingly hugged and will never know lonliness in a place prepared with her dreams and heart in mind. All of heaven opened to recieve this child.

These horrid people that harmed her were seen with every action they took and God made sure that their plans would not stand. I believe that with all my heart.

It's painful for me to even realize there are people like this among us. I want them to face death. They should not be among us, IMO.

 

[Northern Rose]

VIDEO: Eyewitness News Special Report: Zahra’s Disappearance
http://www.wsoctv.com/video/25777866/index.html

VIDEO: Eyewitness News Special Report: The Investigation
http://www.wsoctv.com/video/25777893/index.html

VIDEO: Eyewitness News Special Report: An Emotional Toll
http://www.wsoctv.com/video/25778054/index.html

VIDEO: Eyewitness News Special Report: Questions Remain
http://www.wsoctv.com/video/25777944/index.html

[cookie]

I am glad that Zahra's bio mom is here to get her...I hope that she can take her home with her and have her near so that she can visit her grave...so sad for her!

[Northern Rose]

Hickory police confirm remains are Zahra Baker's


HICKORY, N.C. - After a month-long investigation, Hickory Police believe they've found the remains of Zahra Baker.

Police said Friday that a bone found on Christie Road belonged to Zahra , the 10-year-old girl from Australia whose disappearance and homicide have become one of the most high-profile cases for a missing child in North Carolina.

Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said the bone, found on Christie Road in Caldwell County on Nov. 3, had the same DNA as a mattress recovered from Zahra's bedroom.

 "It is with great regret that I stand before you today," Adkins said during a press conference Friday where he occasionally held back tears. "We have received enough physical evidence to believe we have found Zahra."

Adkins also said human remains found along a stretch of Gunpowder Creek in rural Caldwell County Thursday were those of a child.

The N.C. Medical Examiner will use DNA analysis to determine if the remains are Zahra's, Adkins said.

Zahra was reported missing on Oct. 9 by her father, Adam Baker, 33, and her stepmother, Elisa, 42. Police said she has not been seen by anyone outside of her family since Sept. 25.

No one has been charged in Zahra’s disappearance and Adkins didn't make any announcements about suspects Friday, but Elisa Baker is in jail on felony obstruction of justice charges after police say she admitted writing a phony ransom note to throw off the investigation into the missing girl.

Several television news outlets reported that Elisa Baker, who is cooperating with police, twice brought investigators to the area where the remains were found. She was seen on camera earlier this week inside a red SUV driven by authorities.

District Attorney James Gaither Jr., who prosecutes cases in Catawba County, said the investigation into the homicide is ongoing.

"We're continuing to put a case together. The DA's office is working with law enforcement and hope to see some resolution in this case that will result in charges being filed in the near future."

Police made the announcements at a press conference Friday afternoon -- the third since the pretty 10-year-old girl whose smiling photos - and plight as a victim of bone cancer – captured worldwide attention when she was reported missing.

Earlier Friday, Emily Dietrich, the distraught birth mother who gave up Zahra as a baby, headed to the Hickory house where Zahra lived.

Adam Baker was at the Hickory Police Department Thursday night, but police would not say why he was there.

The hunt for Zahra has sent exhausted investigators across Catawba, Burke and Caldwell counties seeking evidence. They’ve examined two ponds, homes where the Bakers lived, several wooded areas, and a Caldwell County landfill.

Zahra’s prosthetic leg was found in Caldwell, near Christie Road, and the bone investigators now say is Zahra's was also found in the county. The bone was sent to the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for inspection, which compared it to Zahra's DNA.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/12/1833259/hickory-police-confirm-remains.html

[faith1109]

It is sooo hard for me right now to see the faces of AB and stepmonster on NG right now.  I feel a rage I have not felt in a very long time.  The confirmation of what they have done with the finding of Zahra's body is just too much.  Their very physical presence is grotesque.  I have been trying to not get crazy about this, and I just lost it.  I may need a time out...

[Northern Rose]

Police believe they have found Zahra Baker's body (with video)

HICKORY, N.C. – Hickory Police say remains they found match those of missing 10-year-old Zahra Baker. Chief Tom Adkins released that information at a news conference Friday.

Baker had been missing since October 9. Since then people throughout the community gathered at Zahra's Hickory home to remember her.

“Investigators, agents and officers and staff who’ve worked on this case are devastated that we’re not able to find Zahra and bring her home safely,” said Adkins. “Our community mourns. Our state mourns. Our nation mourns and the world mourns.”

Adkins said a bone found last week matched Zahra’s DNA and remains found Wednesday five miles away in a remote area in Granite Falls are also believed to be hers but officers are waiting for results from the state medical examiner's office.

As Adkins broke the news, a crowd gathered outside the police department.

“It breaks my heart that this has went on so long and now we know for sure, but it still hurts,” said Hickory Resident Joyce Cook.

As that pain spread through the community, people added to the memorial outside Zahra’s Hickory home.

“The thing has really, it’s hit home for a lot of people,” said Troutman resident James Tabor.

“Until all of the suspects are behind bars and justice is brought forward, I don’t think the community will really rest,” said Troutman resident Brandy Tabor.

While some were saddened, they also felt relief to hear any kind of news.

“Now we’ll start, maybe, healing now that we know where she’s at and then maybe she can rest in peace,” said Cook.

DNA samples are being taken from Zahra's biological mother and father to create a DNA profile to match with Zahra's.

Her stepmother, Elisa Baker, is in jail. Police charged her with obstruction of justice after she admitted to writing a fake ransom note. Adam baker was arrested on unrelated charges but he is now out on bond.

News 14 Carolina's Jennifer Moxley had a chance to meet Zahra Baker in May when she attended an event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. She has a timeline of events from the time of the Amber Alert on October 9. Watch the video below for more.

http://charlotte.news14.com/content/top_stories/632692/police-believe-they-have-found-zahra-baker-s-body