GUILTY FL - Shannon Dedrick, 7 mo., Chipley, 31 Oct 2009 #5

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January. said:
I don't disagree with you, both of my kids used bumpers in their cribs. I'm just saying that bumpers are now being frowned upon because of the SIDS factor. They do make breathable bumpers now which are becoming more and more popular.
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You are right, January. Bumpers were used to prevent kids from getting caught in the slats before we standards were used. Now that we make cribs safer, bumpers are not necessary.

Also, not everyone who has a crib uses it (co-sleep, use a cosleeper, bassinet in the early days). Not everyone magazine photo is reality, and having a bumper in a photo does not mean it's used or that the crib is used. They are decorative at times, much like half the styling on most of those photos. Styled magazine photos are not a good example of reality or at illustrating safety standards. They are for entertainment purposes.

I would not be worried about my kid hitting his head. Never have I heard this to be a problem. Not to mention, once a baby can sit, the head is always around the slats in the bed above the bumper. "According to Health Canada, it is nearly impossible for an infant to hit his or her head hard enough on the crib to cause bruising or injury."

Crib bumper pads are a very common baby product, and parents often use bumper pads thinking they are increasing the safety of their child's crib. However, many health agencies and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) awareness groups are now recommending that parents skip the crib bumper, saying the need for crib bumpers has passed and that using these products may actually put children at greater risk for suffocation or death.
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One reason child safety organizations recommend against crib bumpers is that they pose a risk of suffocation. Just like a pillow or thick blanket, crib bumper pads can restrict a baby's breathing if the bumper is up next to the baby's nose or mouth. Suffocation risk is greatest when babies are very young and unable to move themselves away from potential hazards. Rebreathing of air is another concern with crib bumper pads. The bumper reduces the flow of fresh air around baby during sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that some infants, when they are overheated or lack sufficient oxygen during sleep, are unable to arouse themselves enough to prevent hypoxia and death. The AAP states that re-breathing of air may in fact be a contributing factor to SIDS.
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Since many infant safety organizations now recommend that nothing be inside the crib at all, the safest route for parents and babies would be to remove crib bumper pads altogether. For day care centers, the push for increased sleep safety may soon result in states mandating that child care providers no longer use crib bumper pads. For parents who are still concerned about their child sticking arms and legs through the crib slats, and feel that they must use a bumper pad, there are new mesh crib bumpers on the market today that allow more air to flow through the crib.
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http://babyproducts.about.com/od/recallsandsafety/a/bumpersafety.htm
 
God be with you Family in Texas - welcome to WS'ers!!!!! Precious Shannon has our prayers and so do you.
 
<snip>

The baby has been in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services since then.
Today Circuit Judge Allen Register ruled to keep that arrangement in-place, but Shannon's father, Rusty, is fighting to get his daughter back.

The story of 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick captured the nation's attention last week.
While her safe rescue was a happy event, the story does not yet have a happy ending.
A custody battle is now underway.
"My little girl is the sweetest thing that ever walked, well crawled right now. I love her to death and I'll do anything for her."
Father Rusty Dedrick says Shannon's arrival earlier this year was a surprise.
But he couldn't wait for her to arrive.
"I got all giddy, excited, I was gonna be a dad for the first time."
He says he quickly became attached to the baby, and it's been difficult for him not to see her everyday.
That's why he's fighting for custody.
"She's my little blessing."
Dedrick is fighting Kandis Boyer for custody.
Boyer is Shannon's grandmother.

more here

http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/69711762.html
 
Texas Mist said:
<snip>


Dedrick is fighting Kandis Boyer for custody.
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Rusty was in a lot better position than Tina to know Susan Baker's history, since she's HIS aunt. If Tabatha knew about "all that crap way back when", apparently it was known in the family. So I'd say Rusty's track record in selecting babysitters for Shannon leave a lot to be desired. At least he consented to dependency at his hearing. Tina didn't, according to the article. She sounds like she really doesn't have a clue. Her choices are either to claim mental incompetence or face the full weight of criminal charges. Is she imagining she can somehow beat the charges without either consenting to being declared mentally incompetent or being declared to involuntarily? It sounds like her lawyer isn't able to get the basic issues across to her.
 
<snip>

CHIPLEY — When sheriff’s deputies found Crystina Mercer sitting on a rock outside her trailer, smoking a cigarette and casually wondering where her baby daughter could be, they wondered if it might be a Halloween prank.

Not quite.

A 911 call, released Tuesday, became the latest piece of the case against Mercer and her step-aunt, Susan Baker, whom investigators said conspired to make 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick disappear
.....

Mercer’s report was strange from the moment deputies arrived, as they said she was calm and smoking outside the dirty, roach-infested trailer while the baby’s father, James “Rusty” Dedrick, was distraught, his face streaked with tears.

He didn’t know of the plan, Sheriff Bobby Haddock said. Meanwhile, Baker kept the baby and denied any involvement.

“She had everybody fooled,” Baker’s niece, Tabatha Phillips, said Tuesday in reaction to the arrests. In previous days, she had defended her.


more here

http://www.newsherald.com/news/everybody-78966-fooled-baby.html
 
Texas Mist said:
<snip>

CHIPLEY — When sheriff’s deputies found Crystina Mercer sitting on a rock outside her trailer, smoking a cigarette and casually wondering where her baby daughter could be, they wondered if it might be a Halloween prank.

Not quite.

A 911 call, released Tuesday, became the latest piece of the case against Mercer and her step-aunt, Susan Baker, whom investigators said conspired to make 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick disappear
.....

Mercer’s report was strange from the moment deputies arrived, as they said she was calm and smoking outside the dirty, roach-infested trailer while the baby’s father, James “Rusty” Dedrick, was distraught, his face streaked with tears.

He didn’t know of the plan, Sheriff Bobby Haddock said. Meanwhile, Baker kept the baby and denied any involvement.

“She had everybody fooled,” Baker’s niece, Tabatha Phillips, said Tuesday in reaction to the arrests. In previous days, she had defended her.


more here

http://www.newsherald.com/news/everybody-78966-fooled-baby.html
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The bolded part. That's not correct. Isn't Susan Rusty's Aunt?
 
Ransom said:
The bolded part. That's not correct. Isn't Susan Rusty's Aunt?
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Ransom you are quite right; Susan Baker is Shannon's not so great, step aunt and Rusty's "step" aunt, not Tina's relative at all.
 
OK, I'm confused again (yeah yeah, it happens often). I thought Susan was Rusty's step/half sister. :waitasec:
 

Originally I thought she is Rusty's aunt by marriage and by step, so no blood and only concidered a "relative" by someone who likes her. Step means no blood, half is 1 blood relative in common.

She's 20 yrs older than he is, I know it happens, but I still think & hope she is the step relative...

I am confused by this family dynamic too, so I could be wrong too.....

If SB and Rusty are half sibs then Shannon is her niece (well half, but that's too technical for our purposes) If She and Rusty are step, she has no relation to Shannon.

This from MySpace:
Going to church - Having family night - Going to the movies -
Or just baby sitting my precious great neices and nephews

Her MS, if correct (who knows) her nieces and nephews grew up,
had kids and now she likes babysitting them...

At least we have it on good authority (Tina's mom Kandis) SB is not related to Tina!!

 
elepher50 said:
There has been a document dump for Paul Baker's missing case in Beaufort, South Carolina - Susan Baker was the babysitter in charge of Paul when he went missing. The documents can be viewed here (thanks to SuziQ for prompting the release of these records through the IslandPacket newspaper). After reading these documents and statements it is truly a miracle that Shannon was found alive:

http://media.islandpacket.com/smedia/2009/11/10/18/20091110BAKER_MISSING.source.prod_affiliate.9.pdf
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What is missing from the reports released is the comparison of the blood splatter from the pillow, hallway and wall of the master bedroom to the MtDNA samples taken from his sister and mother.

So whose blood was all over the house?? It must have been too small an amount to declare him dead and it must not have had tissue that might have indicated he was deceased....

I wonder why that information was redacted? I want desperately to find this child now and give him a final resting place...I wonder if an when his sister might feel ready to give up what she knows??? There really is no information (independent) as to when he went missing. His father claims to have not seen him since Tuesday and he was called in as missing on Thursday. So I wonder when is the last time he was independently verified as being alive???
 
Susan Baker's past is still relevant
Posted: 07:08 PM ET

Susan Baker
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office released 72 pages of reports and documents; painting a more detailed picture of Susan Baker’s criminal past and the disappearance of her 3 year old missing stepson, Paul.

Among the many disturbing details is that at one time Baker’s husband allegedly told authorities he believed she killed his son and threw him in a creek. He later recanted this statement but also said that Baker once beat his other 6 year old child so severely that he had to pull her off of her. Baker also underwent a polygraph but the results were found to be inconclusive according to authorities because baker was obese, under stress, and taking medication. However, it was believed by the technician that Baker was being untruthful. Her husband, on the other hand, flat out failed according to police.

Paul’s disappearance has never been solved, but the cloud of suspicion that hung over the Bakers then is still hovering. Investigators from Beaufort County were present in Chipley, Florida when it was determined that Susan Baker allegedly had a hand in Shannon’s disappearance. They are looking for possible connections to their case that happened 22 years ago. So far none have been made or at least released to the public, but how will Baker’s past affect her future?

Chrystina Mercer’s family believes that Baker manipulated her to participate in a plot that included reporting her baby missing about 10 hours after allegedly handing her over to Susan Baker. “I am still behind my daughter 100 percent and I will do whatever it takes to get her the help she needs,” said Kandis Boyer, Shannon’s maternal grandmother. Boyer has also said that her daughter has a history of mental disabilities. Another family member says she stopped growing mentally and physically at the age of 13.

Luckily baby Shannon has been given a second chance. She is safe, in the custody of the Department of Children and Families. It is unclear how long she will remain there, but her grandmother has expressed wanting to take her back to Texas with her.

Posted by: Natisha Lance
Filed under: Story Updates
 
just heard from a newsherald editor-- more info to come:

In the works for the weekend: An update on the Baby Shannon Dedrick case. Look for it Sunday. (May be posted online Saturday evening.)
 
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/baker-22637-baby-shannon.html?wap=0

snipped
Missing baby case: A tangled web, from S.C. to Chipley

Hundreds of miles and 22 years of mystery separate baby Shannon Dedrick and toddler Paul Baker.Susan Baker will always tie them together.Baker remains jailed in Chipley on charges stemming from the nationally publicized search for 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick, who was found hidden in a box under Baker’s bed four days after her mother reported her missing. Baker was her baby sitter and, investigators say, wanted to raise her.

I do not believe this was a simple case of SB wanting to raise Shannon...

Painful memories

Nina Baker Hernandez is 29 years old now with three children of her own, but she still remembers being kept in a locked closet by her stepmother, Susan Baker, two decades ago in South Carolina. She remembers the days when she was first learning to count, when Baker punished her for faltering at the number 10. For each mistake, she said, Baker repeatedly dunked her head in a bathtub filled with water, bringing her up at intervals for short breaths. When she finished, the water was red with blood.

80 Days.... IMO had she gotten 80 years for each offense, it wouldn't have been enough!! The judge who claimed the prosecutor wanted Sue Baker to pay for the disappearance of Paul was an out right idiot! The justice system failed Nina Baker and Paul Baker...

Circuit Court Judge Luke Brown suspended the sentence to time she’d already served in jail. 80 days plus 5 years probation...

He claimed; 'people want to see her punished for the Paul Baker case and I can't do that.'
 
Once again I am struck by the fact the state child service workers were so involved with a case that led to ( averted) tragedy

Everything about this so called "family" and their living conditions seems wrong

the baby is cute...but again something is "wrong" with her...why haven't they tested Shannon, get her whatever help could be given?

The so called "mother" seems unfit to care for a kitten let alone a baby..and one with special needs

the praise for the grandmother seems odd too...why wasn't she in Florida fighting for her grandchild's custody??

as for the "thing"..the step aunt, Susan Baker, what a miscarriage of justice years ago....I can't believe she got 80 days for breaking her stepdaughters bones, and where is little Paul?

These people are beyond belief

I hope they keep Shannon in state custody and find a new family for her...but who knows?? Somehow I don't see anything good coming for any of these slug people

I do hope that Susan Baker is put away for good

The mother Christina?? She needs some supervised living situation...she is not fit for motherhood. The grandmother?? Sorry I don't think she should be in this picture, nor "Rusty" *if he is even the father

this is yet another situation of bad decisions ....and bad LE work (in Paul's case) and useless state child care workers and laws
 
LogicalMinds said:
Once again I am struck by the fact the state child service workers were so involved with a case that led to (averted) tragedy

as for the "thing"..the step aunt, Susan Baker, what a miscarriage of justice years ago....I can't believe she got 80 days for breaking her stepdaughters bones, and where is little Paul?

I do hope that Susan Baker is put away for good
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I will admit, I know little about Shannon, other than what her relatives have shared with us, but I continue to believe Shannon has received plenty of love in her short life and everyone involved wants only the best for her. That of course would exclude Susan Baker....

If CPS is to be believed, Shannon has gotten regular medical care from day one. Her mother has followed up on appointments and appears to care for Shannon to the best of her abilities.

I surely would not wish being handed over to the state, for Shannon. She has lots of relatives who will take wonderful care of her, given the chance. Now that it is blatantly clear to the state, that Tina will need more help than the state can provide, the family should be given the opportunity to care for Shannon, that they asked for day 1. (If it is determined that Rusty can't or shouldn't be that person.)

I can't tell by looking at Shannon anything is "wrong" with her, I see a lot that is very right tho.

"This so called mother" is Tina, and yes Tina, has a lot of challenges. She apparently acts and thinks like a young teenager. Too bad someone who wanted to help and guide Tina, to be the best she could be wasn't the one who found the way into Tina's life. Instead of Susan Baker, a convicted child abuser and someone who's 3 year old step-son went missing on her watch. Just think how different Tina and Shannon's life might be right now.

No young teenager wants to be told what to do or how to do it, maybe this experience will convince Tina she would be happier living in a situation where she has a little more supervision. Till that happens, Tina is 25 years old and prior to this she had never been in trouble with local law.

As for Tina's family, tread lightly, some of them are members here. Tina's mother lives in TX. Just like most mom's she wanted to be there for her daughter when she gave birth. Unlike most new grandma's who's main concern is loving all over their new grandchild; Kandis was very concerned with her daughter's ability to care for her precious new little daughter. She shared these concerns with the state. The state told Kandis, Tina had the right to care for her own child until proven otherwise.

What more could Kandis have done? She has a home, family and a business to attend to in TX. Was she supposed to just drop all that and move in next door? Pack up and move every time Tina moved? That may have been in her heart but we all know that isn't reality. She did what she could, after that she had to rely on hope and prayers. (BTW if I heard right, she was also in communication with some of Tina's neighbors who had not seen anything alarming.)

Tina and Rusty had plenty of visits from CPS, they according to reports have followed thru with what was asked of them and continued to ask questions of those who were there to evaluate them. Showing they in fact do care and were involved in a loving relationship with their daughter.

Unfortunately a soulless manipulator found her way into Tina's life, instead of helping teach Tina to care for Shannon, she apparently convinced Tina she shouldn't be caring for Shannon. Oddly many of the things that came out in the disappearance of Shannon are eerily similar to things that were reported in the disappearance of Paul Baker.

Thankfully Shannon's life didn't end at Bakers hands, like most believe Paul's did.

We are each entitled to our to our own opinion of Paul Baker and the things that transpired with his disappearance; fortunately for children, LE and science have come a long way. Personally, I think it speaks volumes that those involved in trying to solve the case have never given up. Just a few years ago they tried again to bring his father and Susan to justice.

After a judge decided time served (80 days) was adequate punishment for Susan, for torturing the children for 7 months, I doubt they believe it will ever happen, but Shannon was found alive against the odds too. I will continue to hope this comes to pass for little Paul. For the sake of those who love him, his mom, sister and grandparents. They deserve to know what happened, they deserve to know SB will pay for what was done to Paul and Nina.
 
I don't see a lot of love around that baby...I fear that you are too kind hearted, and too quick to see the best in people

sorry I don't buy it

the mother is strange....they reported that she was calmly smoking cigarettes after reporting her baby missing

she apparently smokes marijuana too.....has the intelligence and emotions of a 13 year old....what love was shown to the baby?? The trailer is filthy....the baby seems to have no emotions

IMHO she has proven she can't care for a child...this whole situation is proof positive

if this baby has any chance it will be when she is placed with a new loving family

as far as the grandmother...since she was not prepared to sacrifice or put herself out in any way to take charge of this baby before, why would she be given custody now??

Tred lightly?? why?? I see nothing but an unfit mother who while manipulated allowed the manipulation....also her own family has said she is bi polar along with being mentally challenged...not a good candidate for motherhood IMHO

yes, Susan Baker is the monster here...but Tina sat there all the while knowing where her baby was....even under all the questioning. Don't you think that the detectives used every trick, every emotion, tried to scare her, and still she didn't tell them where Shannon was?? Thanks to Tina Shannon remained in the box under the bed

Sorry, no way to tred lightly around that
 
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