According to the documents, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office investigated a claim that Zahra Baker had been killed by one or two men who had raped her at a house in Hildebran. The men--cousins--are related to Baker's ex-husband. The tipster alleged that Zahra had been left at the home, and when her mother returned, the little girl had blood on her private area and legs.
According to the search warrants, one of the men had a relationship with Elisa Baker.
Lewis James Young, one of the two men, tells NewsChannel 36 that, to his knowledge, Zahra Baker, has never been in his house. He says he was questioned for ten hours about the allegation and passed a lie detector test.
When police searched the Burke County home, the warrants indicate a mattress with a dark stain was discovered. Young said, "I had gotten really drunk and urinated on it."
Police did not remove the mattress.
Young said his brief interactions with Zahra at Christmas last year were always good. "She was a very respectful little girl...always happy."
He says he offered his help to the investigators who questioned him. "I told them, I said, 'Guys, whatever I can think of--if I can think of anything else--I'll let you know. I'll help you in any way I can.'"
A woman who answered Young's cousin's phone hung up when NewsChannel 36 called for comment. Neither man has been arrested.
Most of the detail in the warrants concerns searching police made of the Baker’s home in Hickory. There, warrants say, investigators removed drain pipes and traps looking for blood. They also removed sections of the wall where they believe there was blood evidence.
A statement issued Wednesday by Hickory police says the State Bureau of Investigation's crime lab confirmed that the remains were Zahra's.
more from warrants:
Application for the Warrant. Applied for 10/14/10 Crime they were looking for evidence of missing/endangered person.
Evidence to be Seized. Records concerning the identity of the user id "gothicfairy6668" and an email address of "[email protected]" consisting of name, postal code, country, e-mail address, date of creation, IP address at account sign-up, logs showing IP address and date stamps for account accesses, stored user files including photographs, videos, blogs and classifieds, and the contents of private messages in the user's inbox, sent mail and trash folders.
Search Warrant - Received 10/29/10 at 3:38PM and Executed at 2:00PM on 10/31/10.
Inventory of Items Seized. 33 blood swabs, hair and tissue, tisue scraping from wall, cut section of floor, cut section of wall, cut section of door frame, carpet fibers, 3 latex gloves, hearing aid parts, knife w/sheath, 6 cans of paint, notebook w/writings, assorted receipts, assorted certificates/cards for Zahra, stun gun, 5 cell phones, Kodak disposable camera, Sanyo digital camera w/memory card, photo CD w/negatives, photo of Zahra, red towel, 8 empty pill bottles, 2 pill bottles w/pills, set of crutches, TV/VCR combo.
Evidence to be Seized. Blood, Body Fluids, Latent prints, trace hair and clothing fibers, physical layout of the residence, measurements of the residence, pictures, video, car cover, latex gloves, white trash bags, black velvet bag containing hearing aids, drain pipes, drain trap, general articles of clothing, bed linens, any documents showing ownership and/or occupancy of the residence to be searched, and any and all evidence that may relate to the missing person Zahra Claire Baker.
Application for the Warrant. Applied for 10/27/10. Crime they were looking for evidence of Homicide.
Evidence to be Seized. Blood, Body Fluids, Latent prints, trace hair and clothing fibers, physical layout of the residence, measurements of the residence, pictures, video, car cover, latex gloves, white trash bags, black velvet bag containing hearing aids, drain pipes, drain trap, general articles of clothing, bed linens, any documents showing ownership and/or occupancy of the residence to be searched, and any and all evidence that may relate to the missing person Zahra Claire Baker.
Statement of Probable Cause
Search Warrant - Received 10/27/10 at 10:50AM and Executed at 11:40AM on that same day.
Inventory of Items Seized. Kitchen drain trap, bathroom drain trap, wal-mart debit card, prescription Naprosam 500MG, Soap Opera Digest mailer, 4 blood swabs, medication paperwork, wal-mart paperwork, blue jeans, white shirt, assorted items from SW bedroom, camo shirt, 4 prosthetic covers, burn debris, cloth material, sock, latex glove, button, necklace, lip balm, CD photos, piece of brick, plastic piece, syringe, toy dolls, pink/gray pants, pink notebook, black LG cellphone, assorted photos, assorted receipts, assorted paperwork, Kodak camera, Lidocaine 50 ML, assorted plastic bags, notepad/red paper, 1 cellphone, 1 Blackberry, Clorox bottle, 2 paint brushes, green cloth, green car cover.
sorry, i think this is dramarama BS from baker's mommy. she probably did love little Zahra, but i think she knows her son is not an innocent dupe, nomatter how stupid he appears. but moms will be moms. nobody wants to believe their child is a complete loser and scumwad and moron. or worse.
From Townsville Bulletin, Aus.:
The release of official police documents which were supposed to remain sealed, and the accompanying US media frenzy, means Zahra's father Adam Baker and grandmother Karen Baker have been forced to postpone their planned attendance at tomorrow night's `Celebration of Life' memorial service for Zahra at a Hickory funeral home.
The shocking news devastated Adam and Karen, who had to hear the horrific news on the US evening news on Tuesday night.
Mrs Baker, who flew to North Carolina last month to be by Adam's side while the search continued for Zahra, cried on the phone yesterday as she tried to come to grips with the thought that her beloved granddaughter could have suffered even more before her brutal death.
``We had no idea that police were even investigating this possibility,'' Mrs Baker sobbed.
``It can't get any more horrific than this, surely ...
``The warrants apparently said that Zahra had been taken to a particular house a few days before Elisa reported her missing, and that she was sexually assaulted by two men.
``Adam just went white as a ghost and collapsed when he heard on the news ... he can't take much more.''
l was known as The Great Southern Land in the Hickory Daily Record until they decided They wanted $49.95 a year and we can't seem to get in there...obviously don't like what l or my staff write....lucky they never knew l was a writer as a Hobby and saw my Norty Tales.....smirks.....anyway...l wrote to an Australian Newspaper about it...they weren't to impressed......because they published what l quickly placed down....not using my real name of course.... http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/art..._news.html
However....l did write something for Zahra in the Condolance Book....afterall she is One of Ours.....l thought You might like to see it.........
The Winds of Tara - The Spirit of Australia - November 29th, 2010 at 12:02pm
Zahra! I am The Winds of Tara, I have come to Embrace you within the Warmth of the Spirit of Australia, to take you my child of the Faraway Land, of The Dreamtime. It is Time to take you away from This Place of Cruel and Hatred, back to your Land of Red Earth that you know so well, l will carry you across the Outback, you will see from My Embrace, the Big Red's, The Willy Willy's, All will be Waiting to Greet Our Zahra, Who Rides The Spirit of Australia.Come Now my child, Come as l Open The Winds for you, Do Not be Frighten Little one, can you not hear the Call? Coooweee, Coooweee, Coooweee. They are Calling for you. The Dreamtime is saying, A Little Warrior is Coming Home. Zahra is Coming Home.The Winds of Tara closed her Embrace, and The Spirit of Australia gently lifted Zahra and began the Journey Home, to The Faraway Land of Australia, as it should be, as it must be.
Welcome Tara, and thanks for joining. i HAVE read your comments in HDR~ and am glad to see you came to Mock.
that's a lovely tribute you've written for her condolence book.
I am new and happened across this board via a link on Facebook. I've been following this case since the sad beginning and live in N.C. about an hour's drive from where Zahra was murdered.
I've been a member of various crime boards, off and on, and this seems to be a place where you can really discuss things.
I've noticed that in several photos of Zahra she was wearing a lot of makeup. I know it's common for little girls to start being interested in such things at around Zahra's age, but not to the level she was 'made up' in some of the photos. Maybe some lip gloss and a little blush and mascara, but little Zahra had on the whole deal...eyeliner, etc. Compound that with the creepy thing her so called father said about her "coming into puberty" *shiver* and that makes me wonder exactly what was happening to her.
Has anyone else noticed this? This whole case gives me chills. I've followed a lot of missing and murdered childrens' cases but this one goes beyond the pale where such crimes are concerned.
And of course I don't mean one death or mistreatment of a child is actually worse, per se. It just seems to me that Zahra had nothing but suffering in her life.
i'm not surprised. but IF either are ever charged with murder, they may be re-appointed.
HICKORY, NC (WBTV) - Two attorneys – including one high-profile lawyer – who were appointed in October to the dad and stepmother of a deceased 10-year-old Hickory girl were removed Wednesday.
The two lawyers, Lisa Dubs and Mark Killian, were appointed to Elisa and Adam Baker, respectively, when it seemed "a charge of first-degree murder… was imminent" against them in the death of Zahra Baker, according to the NC Capital Defender's office.
edit to add: dubs says she will still represent elisa baker.
NOTE: WARRANT INFORMATION IS DETAILED ON PREVIOUS PAGES.
Someone needs to do something about DSS in the area where Zahra lived and possibly other parts of NC.
My uncle is a news photographer for the Charlotte Observer and also does news videography for WSOC, WCNC and several other stations (all of it freelance). I used to hang around and work a bit in his studio when I was growing up and there in my hometown was a well known case of child abuse.
The little boy was only like 3 or 4 and was severely beaten by his dad (Fred Gammons). His name was Travis and had been abused and neglected all his life. Fred finally bean him half to death resulting in a coma, severe brain damage, blindness and various other things.
It had been reported many, many times to DSS and became a big news story. It was only several counties away from where Zahra ended up living her last days.
Zahra's dad couldn't have moved to a more perfect place to do harm to a child and get away with it. It's almost like the 'perfect storm' of a child abuse scenario.
i wonder how many will attend today. i think there will be a lynch mob...oops, i meant to say crowd.
Hickory Record:
HICKORY --
Although Drum Funeral Home and Cremation Services are no longer holding the Celebration of Life service for Zahra Baker today, they are still expecting hundreds of people to come to their Hickory funeral home.
Drum Funeral Home was initially contacted by Adam Baker and his family to hold a public service for the 10-year-old Australian girl whose untimely death has stirred the public. With photos of Zahra displayed in the media and the circumstances surrounding her death, many in the region feel drawn to Zahra.
There has been an outpouring of grief over her death, first in the shrine in front of the house Zahra lived in with her father, Adam, and her stepmother, Elisa, and then at Christie Road in Caldwell County, where police found her prosthetic leg and a bone police have identified as belonging to her.
The public Celebration of Life ceremony was canceled Tuesday by the family, and changed to a private memorial service that will be held at a later date. However, the public can still come today and tomorrow to sign a guest book and view a memorial tribute slideshow of Zahra.
Visitors who come to sign the guest book will have two to sign — one that will be given to Zahra’s father, Adam, and one that will be given to Zahra’s mother in Australia, Emily Dietrich. To the left of the guest books is a photo of Zahra, larger than life, impishly grinning at the camera while holding up a snake in her hands.
Visitors will also get to watch a video montage, photos from Zahra’s life that the family has put together, said Loretta Kuhn, with Drum Funeral Home. The slideshow is played to “Stuck on You,” by Elvis Presley and “Flew up to Heaven” by Alan Jackson.
Photos in the memorial tribute show Zahra riding on a motorcycle, diving into a pool, dancing, wearing a cowboy hat, playing putt-putt and bending over, peeking through her legs at the camera. There are images of her with long hair and two legs, and photos of her with her head wrapped in a scarf, pictures of her shortly after she got her left-leg prosthesis.
Through all of the photos, though, she is smiling widely at the camera, not a care in the world. The slideshow ends on a photo of a close up of Zahra facing the camera, playfully sticking her tongue out at the person taking the photo, waving her hands on either side of her face.
Throughout the slideshow, though, there is not a single baby picture or a photo of Zahra in her toddler years.
Drum Funeral Home and Cremations will be open for the community to sign the guest books from 5 to 7 p.m. today and on Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. The chapel, where the video will be playing, seats 200 people and the receiving room holds another 50 or so.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that memorials be made in Zahra’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
crowd was sparse
a second memorial tomorrow. 1 to 4 PM
Hickory --
A steady stream of mourners made their way to Drum Funeral Home & Cremation Services Thursday night to view a memorial video of Zahra Baker and to sign the register book, but the anticipated crowds of hundreds never materialized.
There were no traffic jams in the parking lot although there were five Hickory police officers on hand to facilitate crowd control and parking.
The announcement that the family memorial had been declared private and postponed to an undisclosed date may have contributed to the sparse turnout.
People made their way into the funeral home in small groups of two or three. They signed the book, watched of the photo slideshow then made their way back to their cars. There were from 10 to 20 people in the chambers during most of the two-hour ceremony.
At 5:30 p.m. 35 people had signed the register book. Some of the people left messages of hope beside their signatures like, “Now you can fly with the angels and God will take care of the rest.”
By 6:30 p.m., there were just 15 cars in the funeral home’s parking lot.
A steady stream of mourners made their way to Drum Funeral Home & Cremation Services Thursday night to view a memorial video of Zahra Baker and to sign the register book, but the anticipated crowds of hundreds never materialized.
There were no traffic jams in the parking lot although there were five Hickory police officers on hand to facilitate crowd control and parking.
The announcement that the family memorial had been declared private and postponed to an undisclosed date may have contributed to the sparse turnout.
People made their way into the funeral home in small groups of two or three. They signed the book, watched of the photo slideshow then made their way back to their cars. There were from 10 to 20 people in the chambers during most of the two-hour ceremony.
At 5:30 p.m. 35 people had signed the register book. Some of the people left messages of hope beside their signatures like, “Now you can fly with the angels and God will take care of the rest.”
By 6:30 p.m., there were just 15 cars in the funeral home’s parking lot.
I believe a lot of people in that area are upset that it was made private. There are so many people mad as hell about what happened to Zahra and it makes them madder still that Adam and his mom are calling the shots and he hasn't been arrested yet.
It happened to them too, the folks in the community, and they want justice. It's a scary situation and I wouldn't want their wrath turned on ME so old Adam should probably be careful.
Well....that will teach them for profiteering of Zahra's Death just because International Readers are coming there in droves....so in my true Australian style and flair....with some added sarcaism and wrath....couldn't swear....l gave the paper and most of its readers a good smack in the chops....unfortunately...they banned both pc's..
Lady Cop....l have left a question in the Rules page in regard to my staff...they are all orphans...l have explained the issue to You and am hoping....You will agree..if not l will understand....
However...We all love Zahra...and You have Fabulous information...and l am sure they would love it here...there is only that one problem l have mentioned to You.
The Baker family did not attend the visitation. Zahra's father, Adam Baker, has received threats and police advised the family to hold their memorial to Zahra in private. No date has been set for that yet.
WBTV videos of memorial and the Zahra video.
click:
A Hickory funeral home invited people to sign a register book.
We're told the register book at the home will be sent to Zahra's biological mother in Australia. The home had originally planned to have a book for Adam Baker as well, but pushback from people in the community who still suspect him in Zahra's death convinced them to put that book away.
I believe that if these two are not convicted, that they will have a difficult time ever leaving the county. I live here and I think that people, from what I have heard plan on taking justice into their own hands if justice isn't served by the law. I think people are tired of the system not working for the victims and letting the criminals walk the streets without a care in the world.
What information do you want on Drums Funeral Home?
Oktoberfest is always fun. Food that costs too much and tons of cool crafts and a huge beer garden. I didn't go to it this year, but did last year. Anything else? Have you ever been to downtown Hickory?
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