2010.10.09 - Adam Baker's 911 call

[Allusonz]

When i state this is the most bizarre 911 call i have heard i mean it so lets look at both AB and the 911 dispatcher

I would also love to know what was in officer rollands report as well as what EB said during her "hysterics" as this may explain why AB answered some of the ways he did

Most importantly i would love to know what that 911 dispatcher saw on her screen

The saddest part of all MOO is that not once was her name asked....shakes head

Did the BOSS already report this?

DISPATCHER: 911 what is your emergency?

ADAM BAKER: Ah.. yeah my daughter is missing.

DISPATCHER: I'm sorry? Your daughter…

Full Coverage: The Search for Zahra

ADAM BAKER: My daughter is missing.

DISPATCHER: Your daughter is missing.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

DISPATCHER: What is your address?

ADAM BAKER: 21 21st Ave. Northwest.

ADAM BAKER: The police were out here last night. They found a ransom note for my bosses daughter… um… I got up a little while ago… and it appears they took my daughter instead of my bosses daughter.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

DISPATCHER: How old is your daughter?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: She is 10. She's handicapped.. she has a prosthetic leg… so that…

DISPATCHER: How long has seen been missing?

ADAM BAKER: Ummm. We checked in there last night about 2:30 and she was there... and all this happened last night around 5 ...so I don't know if they set a fire in the yard to distract us to go out and then they snuck in the door... or.. I don't know.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

DISPATCHER: I am not familiar with what happened last night... what happened last night?

This is the first time i think i actually heard AB's frustration come through on this call like you mean i have to repeat this again

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: OK. Last night...we woke up.. my dog woke me up and I had a fire in the back yard and somebody had poured gas in my company vehicle I drive to work. They left a ransom note on my company vehicle to my boss saying they had his daughter and his son was next.

Some have mentioned the possibility that AB/EB were sleeping in the car i actually believe that AB was sleeping outside the home

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: And his daughter is fine. His daughter came with him last night when I called him. And uh, It appears they may have taken my daughter instead of his daughter.

DISPATCHER: OK, Do you know who this was?

Who what was? There was no abduction again it strikes me as a very bizarre

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: I don't know who... No... no ma'am..

DISPATCHER: Do you know any idea why they were threatening to take his daughter?

Asking why they were threatening boss's daughter?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: I don't know.

DISPATCHER: What is your name?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: My name is Adam Baker.

DISPATCHER: Phone number?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: 962-xxxx

DISPATCHER: OK, so.. No one has seen your daughter since 2:30 this morning...? [It is now after 2 pm that day]

Finally determines when last seen

Still no request for name height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: No.. like I said we, uh, had all that drama last night and we... me and my wife went back to bed. And my daughter is I think's coming into puberty.. cause she is hitting that brooding stage (laughter) so we only see her when she comes out when she wants something. And that's about it.

DISPATCHER: And you say she is handicapped..?

Again the dispatcher asks if she is handicapped

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Yes ma'am.. she has an above the knee amputation.

DISPATCHER: OK, she has one leg and it is partially amputated?

HUH? Does the dispatcher truly believe at this point that she only has one leg and that leg is amputated?

Sorry this question has me scratching my head by now more than any other said to this point

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Yes, she has a prosthetic leg that they apparently have taken with them.

DISPATCHER: So... Prosthetic leg was taken with her?

The dispatcher again asks if the prosthesis was taken

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Yes ma'am..

DISPATCHER: OK. And you don't have any idea at all...

No idea about what? the fire? I don't believe this question refers whatsoever to ZB but MOO

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc


ADAM BAKER: Like I said it was it was all addressed to him and it was all taken out on him and.. I guess.. they thought he lived in this house...

DISPATCHER: OK.. ok.. did you talk to your boss about it?

Interesting question from the dispatcher it is like she knew already that he had spoken to his boss...DID THE BOSS CALL PRIOR??

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Um... I have just spoken to him and he umm told me to do... and he's going to be here shortly....

DISPATCHER: OK.. do you think that he knows?

Does AB think he knows what?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Umm.. we had an officer out here last night and he ran through who he thought it may have been like an ex-employee or something..

DISPATCHER: OK and you said 21 25th Ave. Northwest?

Too many questions on fire incident for her to have the wrong address at the END of the call

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: 21 21st Ave.

DISPATCHER: OK.. 21 21st ave.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

DISPATCHER: OK.. Hold on just a sec.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: OK. Thank you

[Silence...]

DISPATCHER: OK... I see it now. I wasn't finding the call.. OK.

I gather she is referring to the fire incident call but this is a missing child call

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: It was officer .. [unintelligible]

DISPATCHER: Ok, we are getting the police out there.. if you find out anything at all in the meantime before we get the officer out there call me back and it would help us as far as finding your daughter.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Ok. Thank you ma'am

disconnect

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

 

[Jacie Estes]

When i state this is the most bizarre 911 call i have heard i mean it so lets look at both AB and the 911 dispatcher

I would also love to know what was in officer rollands report as well as what EB said during her "hysterics" as this may explain why AB answered some of the ways he did

Most importantly i would love to know what that 911 dispatcher saw on her screen

The saddest part of all MOO is that not once was her name asked....shakes head

Did the BOSS already report this?

DISPATCHER: 911 what is your emergency?

ADAM BAKER: Ah.. yeah my daughter is missing.
<snipped>
DISPATCHER: Ok, we are getting the police out there.. if you find out anything at all in the meantime before we get the officer out there call me back and it would help us as far as finding your daughter.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Ok. Thank you ma'am

disconnect

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

I have read this transcript several times since it was released and it has never made sense to me.

Even when I was on a call with 911, knowing that my terminally ill brother was dying, I stayed focused because I felt it was important to help him. The 911 operater kept talking to me and asking me pertinent questions, name/age/health issue. When I explained that he was terminally ill and that I felt he was at the end of his suffering the operator was so nice and just kept talking to me so I wouldn't fall apart. When the police and EMT's/Firemen got to our house they knew exactly what was wrong.

In this call, I wonder if there were factors already known, such as numerous calls/abuse/drugs to the address and the family that the operator would just let LE straighten it out when they got there. ab, IMHO, does sound like he's not worried and possibly a bit 'under influence'', again IMHO. In the audio version, I don't hear concern in his voice. IMHO

 

[Pondering Mind]

I understand that people do react differently to stressful situations..but this phone call bothers me for many reasons..As a person who unfortunately has had to make several of those terrifying life and death 911 phone calls..most involving my children and one after finding my almost 11 month old son in his crib unresponsive. As some here know he died of SIDS many years ago..and I KNEW when I found him that he was gone..praying I was wrong, but for reasons I won't go into, I knew. :-(...I was 17 years old and had no phone. I went in to wake him up one morning and at first glance he appeared sound asleep and I had no clue anything was wrong until I went to pick him up. I just totally lost it and started screaming for my husband @ that time. He was just waking up as well and I guess could tell by my scream that something was terribly wrong and made it from one end of our tiny house to the other in about 4 leaps, grabbed my son and started CPR while I ran next door to use the phone. Even at that age and under those circumstances I was able to remain calm enough to tell the dispatcher the information they needed or do what I needed to do. Of course unlike Adam, every time I had to make one of those calls, I always did keep asking "is someone on their way" or scream "hurry, you've got to hurry!"..something along those lines, I don't remember exactly..but it ALWAYS seemed to take forever when in reality it was usually very fast..It's very hard for me to imagine that someone is able to NOT keep asking that even after being told that an ambulance is enroute...all jmo fwiw..

That said, even if I were to take the fact that there seemed to be no urgency to his call as *just his way* and dismiss the unusual (imo) manner in which he spoke with the dispatcher and the odd things he said..again as *just laid back Adam* ...I CAN NOT get past the fact that in his voice there wasn't an ounce of panic or worry . It was more like ..'and yeah..oh by the way, my daughter's not in her room..we thought we had a kidnapping last night..all kinds of drama and stuff, but I didn't think to look in on my kid, blah..blah..blah'..like she was an afterthought or something..The lack of that *something* in his voice as a parent disturbs me greatly..

 

[Allusonz]

I understand that people do react differently to stressful situations..but this phone call bothers me for many reasons..As a person who unfortunately has had to make several of those terrifying life and death 911 phone calls..most involving my children and one after finding my almost 11 month old son in his crib unresponsive. As some here know he died of SIDS many years ago..and I KNEW when I found him that he was gone..praying I was wrong, but for reasons I won't go into, I knew. :-(...I was 17 years old and had no phone. I went in to wake him up one morning and at first glance he appeared sound asleep and I had no clue anything was wrong until I went to pick him up. I just totally lost it and started screaming for my husband @ that time. He was just waking up as well and I guess could tell by my scream that something was terribly wrong and made it from one end of our tiny house to the other in about 4 leaps, grabbed my son and started CPR while I ran next door to use the phone. Even at that age and under those circumstances I was able to remain calm enough to tell the dispatcher the information they needed or do what I needed to do. Of course unlike Adam, every time I had to make one of those calls, I always did keep asking "is someone on their way" or scream "hurry, you've got to hurry!"..something along those lines, I don't remember exactly..but it ALWAYS seemed to take forever when in reality it was usually very fast..It's very hard for me to imagine that someone is able to NOT keep asking that even after being told that an ambulance is enroute...all jmo fwiw..

That said, even if I were to take the fact that there seemed to be no urgency to his call as *just his way* and dismiss the unusual (imo) manner in which he spoke with the dispatcher and the odd things he said..again as *just laid back Adam* ...I CAN NOT get past the fact that in his voice there wasn't an ounce of panic or worry . It was more like ..'and yeah..oh by the way, my daughter's not in her room..we thought we had a kidnapping last night..all kinds of drama and stuff, but I didn't think to look in on my kid, blah..blah..blah'..like she was an afterthought or something..The lack of that *something* in his voice as a parent disturbs me greatly..

Like many of you i do see the points most of you are making, some i truly dont agree with but usually can see the other thought patterns involved

Here is were in MOO this call creates such a dilemna for so many of us

The standard script was not stuck to like many of you have referenced and we are so use to basing opinions / observations etc on things we are familiar with

All of that was lost in this call not only from the calm that AB appeared to have to what struck me as the prodding of what seemed to be something entirely different from the 911 operator

As well i wonder what truly good info would we have got if the script had been stuck to for example

Is she on any medications? Yes if so what ones or No
What clothing was she wearing? Did it match the clothing scraps from the fire?

Who was she last seen with?

There is a reason for the scripts and the standards and that is to try and get as much info to the investigating officers as quickly as possible

For the more obvious fact since the operator seemed to concentrate on the earlier instance i feel like some valuable info was missed and the normal flow of a missing child report was lost

 

[mssheila]

When i state this is the most bizarre 911 call i have heard i mean it so lets look at both AB and the 911 dispatcher

I would also love to know what was in officer rollands report as well as what EB said during her "hysterics" as this may explain why AB answered some of the ways he did

Most importantly i would love to know what that 911 dispatcher saw on her screen

The saddest part of all MOO is that not once was her name asked....shakes head

Did the BOSS already report this?

DISPATCHER: 911 what is your emergency?

ADAM BAKER: Ah.. yeah my daughter is missing.

DISPATCHER: I'm sorry? Your daughter&#8230;

Full Coverage: The Search for Zahra

ADAM BAKER: My daughter is missing.

DISPATCHER: Your daughter is missing.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

DISPATCHER: What is your address?

ADAM BAKER: 21 21st Ave. Northwest.

ADAM BAKER: The police were out here last night. They found a ransom note for my bosses daughter&#8230; um&#8230; I got up a little while ago&#8230; and it appears they took my daughter instead of my bosses daughter.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

DISPATCHER: How old is your daughter?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: She is 10. She's handicapped.. she has a prosthetic leg&#8230; so that&#8230;

DISPATCHER: How long has seen been missing?

ADAM BAKER: Ummm. We checked in there last night about 2:30 and she was there... and all this happened last night around 5 ...so I don't know if they set a fire in the yard to distract us to go out and then they snuck in the door... or.. I don't know.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

DISPATCHER: I am not familiar with what happened last night... what happened last night?

This is the first time i think i actually heard AB's frustration come through on this call like you mean i have to repeat this again

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: OK. Last night...we woke up.. my dog woke me up and I had a fire in the back yard and somebody had poured gas in my company vehicle I drive to work. They left a ransom note on my company vehicle to my boss saying they had his daughter and his son was next.

Some have mentioned the possibility that AB/EB were sleeping in the car i actually believe that AB was sleeping outside the home

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: And his daughter is fine. His daughter came with him last night when I called him. And uh, It appears they may have taken my daughter instead of his daughter.

DISPATCHER: OK, Do you know who this was?

Who what was? There was no abduction again it strikes me as a very bizarre

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: I don't know who... No... no ma'am..

DISPATCHER: Do you know any idea why they were threatening to take his daughter?

Asking why they were threatening boss's daughter?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: I don't know.

DISPATCHER: What is your name?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: My name is Adam Baker.

DISPATCHER: Phone number?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: 962-xxxx

DISPATCHER: OK, so.. No one has seen your daughter since 2:30 this morning...? [It is now after 2 pm that day]

Finally determines when last seen

Still no request for name height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: No.. like I said we, uh, had all that drama last night and we... me and my wife went back to bed. And my daughter is I think's coming into puberty.. cause she is hitting that brooding stage (laughter) so we only see her when she comes out when she wants something. And that's about it.

DISPATCHER: And you say she is handicapped..?

Again the dispatcher asks if she is handicapped

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Yes ma'am.. she has an above the knee amputation.

DISPATCHER: OK, she has one leg and it is partially amputated?

HUH? Does the dispatcher truly believe at this point that she only has one leg and that leg is amputated?

Sorry this question has me scratching my head by now more than any other said to this point

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Yes, she has a prosthetic leg that they apparently have taken with them.

DISPATCHER: So... Prosthetic leg was taken with her?

The dispatcher again asks if the prosthesis was taken

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Yes ma'am..

DISPATCHER: OK. And you don't have any idea at all...

No idea about what? the fire? I don't believe this question refers whatsoever to ZB but MOO

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc


ADAM BAKER: Like I said it was it was all addressed to him and it was all taken out on him and.. I guess.. they thought he lived in this house...

DISPATCHER: OK.. ok.. did you talk to your boss about it?

Interesting question from the dispatcher it is like she knew already that he had spoken to his boss...DID THE BOSS CALL PRIOR??

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Um... I have just spoken to him and he umm told me to do... and he's going to be here shortly....

DISPATCHER: OK.. do you think that he knows?

Does AB think he knows what?

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Umm.. we had an officer out here last night and he ran through who he thought it may have been like an ex-employee or something..

DISPATCHER: OK and you said 21 25th Ave. Northwest?

Too many questions on fire incident for her to have the wrong address at the END of the call

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: 21 21st Ave.

DISPATCHER: OK.. 21 21st ave.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

DISPATCHER: OK.. Hold on just a sec.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: OK. Thank you

[Silence...]

DISPATCHER: OK... I see it now. I wasn't finding the call.. OK.

I gather she is referring to the fire incident call but this is a missing child call

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: It was officer .. [unintelligible]

DISPATCHER: Ok, we are getting the police out there.. if you find out anything at all in the meantime before we get the officer out there call me back and it would help us as far as finding your daughter.

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

ADAM BAKER: Ok. Thank you ma'am

disconnect

Still does not ask NAME height weight etc

Thank you for dissecting that whole call. I hadn't looked at it like that at all. You're right! Not one time does she ask for ANY sort of description, Clothes she was last seen in- not even her NAME! This woman should have been fired immediately after this call! what if Zahra were passed by an officer riding in a car with someone? walking along the road, etc...

Oh wow. Just wow.
ETA: I also cannot fathom why she allowed him off the phone before the officer responded. She had the wrong address for what seemed like an eternity on the call, and the officer had to have been en route while all that was happening... why did she let AB off the line??????

 

[mssheila]

I understand that people do react differently to stressful situations..but this phone call bothers me for many reasons..As a person who unfortunately has had to make several of those terrifying life and death 911 phone calls..most involving my children and one after finding my almost 11 month old son in his crib unresponsive. As some here know he died of SIDS many years ago..and I KNEW when I found him that he was gone..praying I was wrong, but for reasons I won't go into, I knew. :-(...I was 17 years old and had no phone. I went in to wake him up one morning and at first glance he appeared sound asleep and I had no clue anything was wrong until I went to pick him up. I just totally lost it and started screaming for my husband @ that time. He was just waking up as well and I guess could tell by my scream that something was terribly wrong and made it from one end of our tiny house to the other in about 4 leaps, grabbed my son and started CPR while I ran next door to use the phone. Even at that age and under those circumstances I was able to remain calm enough to tell the dispatcher the information they needed or do what I needed to do. Of course unlike Adam, every time I had to make one of those calls, I always did keep asking "is someone on their way" or scream "hurry, you've got to hurry!"..something along those lines, I don't remember exactly..but it ALWAYS seemed to take forever when in reality it was usually very fast..It's very hard for me to imagine that someone is able to NOT keep asking that even after being told that an ambulance is enroute...all jmo fwiw..

That said, even if I were to take the fact that there seemed to be no urgency to his call as *just his way* and dismiss the unusual (imo) manner in which he spoke with the dispatcher and the odd things he said..again as *just laid back Adam* ...I CAN NOT get past the fact that in his voice there wasn't an ounce of panic or worry . It was more like ..'and yeah..oh by the way, my daughter's not in her room..we thought we had a kidnapping last night..all kinds of drama and stuff, but I didn't think to look in on my kid, blah..blah..blah'..like she was an afterthought or something..The lack of that *something* in his voice as a parent disturbs me greatly..

You have managed to convey my thoughts so succintly that I want to say thanks! I've been trying to say all those things in my post, but I couldn't find the right words. It's his lack of urgency. His tone of voice. The CONTENT of his words- the puberty and brooding topic. All of these things are wrong. And then we have this dispatcher who is in a world of her own. I couldn't point it all out- I could only say that in my work as a dispatcher and in my experience as a mother- I have never heard anyone sound like that in a 911 call. Thanks for putting it all together.

 

[mssheila]

Like many of you i do see the points most of you are making, some i truly dont agree with but usually can see the other thought patterns involved

Here is were in MOO this call creates such a dilemna for so many of us

The standard script was not stuck to like many of you have referenced and we are so use to basing opinions / observations etc on things we are familiar with

All of that was lost in this call not only from the calm that AB appeared to have to what struck me as the prodding of what seemed to be something entirely different from the 911 operator

As well i wonder what truly good info would we have got if the script had been stuck to for example

Is she on any medications? Yes if so what ones or No
What clothing was she wearing? Did it match the clothing scraps from the fire?

Who was she last seen with?

There is a reason for the scripts and the standards and that is to try and get as much info to the investigating officers as quickly as possible

For the more obvious fact since the operator seemed to concentrate on the earlier instance i feel like some valuable info was missed and the normal flow of a missing child report was lost

I absolutely agree 100%

 

[Hickory Born]

ADAM BAKER: Um... I have just spoken to him and he umm told me to do... and he's going to be here shortly....

Why did Adam call his boss "before" calling 911?

1. Did AB think Zahra was with the boss?
2. Was AB unaware of 911 (EB would have known)?
3. Was this part of the master plan (having a reputable Hickory citizen involved)?

I just don't understand why he called Coffey (his boss). Coffey had already talked with police earlier that morning and I think produced his own daughter, showing she was not kidnapped.

AB said he walked around the neighborhood looking for Zahra, did anyone see him doing this? What amount of time elapsed...EB outside screaming that Zahra was missing, AB walking the neighborhood, AB calling Coffey, his boss, and finally the call to 911? If one were to assume that AB was innocent of any involvement, this time period needs to be documented and explained. Did AB or EB call family members/friends asking if Zahra was with them?

 

[Allusonz]

Thank you for dissecting that whole call. I hadn't looked at it like that at all. You're right! Not one time does she ask for ANY sort of description, Clothes she was last seen in- not even her NAME! This woman should have been fired immediately after this call! what if Zahra were passed by an officer riding in a car with someone? walking along the road, etc...

Oh wow. Just wow.
ETA: I also cannot fathom why she allowed him off the phone before the officer responded. She had the wrong address for what seemed like an eternity on the call, and the officer had to have been en route while all that was happening... why did she let AB off the line??????

WOW is right. I think i calculated 26 times she could of asked for her NAME at least and did not

This was a LE agency that was determined from the get go to find this precious little girl. They truly are to be commended just on determination alone!!!

I believe the boss had already called or was on the phone with another 911 operator during his call, i have to give the 911 operator the benefit of the doubt as most are so very well trained but she was totally off protocol here

As for the 911 operator, i dont believe that she had the wrong address at all, but i would sincerely love to know what she was seeing on her screen

I believe AB called his boss first. I think this marriage had broken down to the point that he was sleeping in the company vehicle most times thus he turned to his boss whom i get the impression he valued his opinion/advice

I could not figure out why ZB's name was never asked by her and after i relooked at the 911 call i now believe that the boss had already called or was on the phone with another 911 operator. Arson was suspected immediately from the officer and for some reason the 911 operator did not stick to a missing person script. Her attention was focused on the earlier event which tells me again she did not have the incorrect address. Again what was she seeing on her screen. I am surprised here that no action has been taken against this 911 operator

I as well dont believe AB in his mind thought 8 hours were unaccounted for. EB said 2:30am but if he immediately got up for work and left he would think she was in the care of EB. He did not enter the house upon arriving home pointing again in my mind that he spent as little time as possible in there. EB came out "hysterical". In my mind there was actually more than 8 hours not accounted for

He stated he looked in the house (which considering the size would not take long IMO) and started to look outside. I think that he actually called his boss and then 911 from outside that is why we hear a child in the background. I dont actually believe he looked for long more like walking and phoning at the same time. If that is the case both calling his boss and 911 could show concern but more of "what the heck is going on" " what do i do"

Remember that EB was a master manipulator that was able to pull off him believing that her ex was her brother. It was only right after ZB went missing that he found out that he might not even be married to her. It does make me ask the question of whether AB is a bit slower in his thought processes

Some have thought that AB was on drugs but BB stated he did not do them. She stated this in the radio interview with her mother whom stated that EB presented to her as a very concerned parent. BB you might wonder about but i dont believe you can discount her mother. She even stated that she was more apt to believe EB based on her interaction than her own daughter during that radio interview.

I believe that AB has been able to account for some of his time otherwise more than enough time has passed for those i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed and he would of been arrested for something by this point in time based on what i have seen from this LE group

I also believe makara is right in EB convincing AB that she was in puberty. This was very evident in the 911 call that AB was not comfortable with this issue

PonderingMind even stated that the 911 operator stayed on script during her crises even if pondering may not of realized it at the time. The operator still was getting the information she was to of got such as NAME, age etc

The first time i listened to it like most of you i was looking for reaction. It was not till quite some time later that i re-listened to it and it jumped out at me how utterly bizarre this was

 

[MaryAnn]

Has Adam Baker ever been arrested?

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Has Adam Baker ever been arrested?

On charges unrelated to the death of Zahra, yes.

 

[westsidefox64]

Has Adam Baker ever been arrested?

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/25501224/detail.html

Yes on unrelated charges and bailed out a few days later.

 

[Flakes]

Hi all,

The call certainly seems quite extraordinary, especially the obvious omissions. I am, however, thinking quite differently to many of you with regards to the tone of AB's voice in the call and what this implies.

Being an Australian myself, I have to point out that typically (culturally): 1) we are taught from a young age to be very calm and slow in our delivery of information to an emergency call; 2) it is quite normal for an Aussie to greet at the start of verbal conversation, ie before delivering the message of intent - eg his "hi, how are ya" and "hi, my daughter ..." are not unusual even in the emergency call circumstances, IMO; 3) many Australian males speak with a similar tone to AB - kind of monotone and disinterested if you like &#8211; I think it is the accent and nasally sort of way we pronounce vowels and omit certain consonants; 4) many Australians are by nature laid back, even to a point in times of stress; 5) I would say AB speaks quite fast for an Australian, so his words meld into each other quite a lot, making it hard to understand him clearly. I had to concentrate quite hard to get every word clearly.

I wonder if the call centre 911 rep may have been a little thrown off by the Australian accent and found it hard to understand AB? I have had circumstances where Americans have found it hard to understand my speech in person, even though I talk very slowly and with an almost 'proper' English pronunciation of words. Also the background noise (I'm not sure if it was at his or her end) may have made it difficult for her to understand him. I don't see this as a valid excuse to fail to ask simple questions such as name, physical appearance, dob, etc, but I do wonder if it contributed to the extremely poor management of the call.

I think in times of stress, such as making a call to emergency services, that a caller is guided and easily distracted by the questioning of the call centre rep. Many of her questions seem to be vague and confusing, and I think you can hear the frustration with the line of questions in his voice. He tries to clearly and simply answer these (eg going back over the scenario of his dog waking him up for the fire, etc), even though they are clearly not immediate to the issue of the missing child. Again that is something we in Australia are taught to do &#8211; answer the questions we're asked by authorities and let them guide the questions.

I have to point out that no Australian says "ma'm" &#8211; not ever. This is the one really unusual thing that sticks out in my mind. It is not in our vocabulary. Perhaps it is something drummed into a newcomer to the Charlotte community? I have no idea, but it is weird to me when listening to him speak.

With regard to the perception of stress and urgency in his voice: a few months ago while traveling alone I was the second car to arrive at the scene of a horrendous single car accident in an alpine region (no snow or ice at the place of the incident though) approx 7 hours from the closest capital city, and in absolute isolation. The car had rolled repeatedly, off the road into the grassland beside. I was flagged down by the driver of the first vehicle to arrive. He instructed me to head to the closest town's hospital to alert them how diabolical the situation was, as he suspected the 000 (911) operator may have failed to grasp the severity of the situation. There were 7 critical, 2 of which died, and another with massive head injuries, all survivors except the uninjured driver required weeks of hospital care. I drove to town, discussed with the hospital, then was suddenly hit like a brick to the head. My neighbour is a trauma counselor for ski patrol, so I went in to talk to him. One of the most amazing things to me was the guy who I spoke with at the accident &#8211; how completely calm he was in spite of the horrendous scene he was midst. The trauma counselor said that both the guy and myself had remained calm to perform the necessary tasks, and once the tasks were completed that is when the shock kicks in. The trauma counselor spent the next day with the other guy as it took another 12 hours for him to react in complete shock.

It's just something to consider &#8211; maybe when you are faced with a situation of extreme stress many people will remain calm as part of their coping mechanism. To succumb to panic immediately is counterproductive.

Also another thought in response to some of the above posts &#8211; if my child was missing my first step would be to check around the closest streets for her, and call anyone within close proximity who she may have gone to visit without asking. Then if she was not located I would finally call 000 (911). It is quite common for children in Australia to wander around the neighbourhood and play in the streets, parks, local schoolgrounds, or at neighbours houses with friends. I'm not sure how safe the neighbourhood Zahra lived in is, and I understand she moved there recently so had few if any friends there, but as the parent I would still follow this procedure before calling emergency services.

Something else, which is an aside but relates to the dog mentioned in the 911 call &#8211; in Australia pitbull terriers are illegal as they are considered a dangerous dog. You are not allowed to breed or import them here. Living dogs are sometimes voluntarily put down by owners, or they live until such time as an incident occurs where authorities put them down. Historically we've had an unacceptable number of vicious maulings, including human fatalities. Yet, when AB goes to the US he gets a pitbull with a child in the house. Very strange IMO.

 

[NcMomma]

The problem I have with the theory that some people are just naturally calm in emergencies is this: I have seen people quote several situations where they themselves were calm and collected during an emergency situation, some even in emergencies involving their children. However, in not one instance has anyone been dealing with this set of circumstances! Adam supposedly thought that his child had been abducted by some stranger with a huge grudge against his boss! Someone angry enough to set the yard on fire and seemingly planned to set the vehicle on fire! There would be no thought of maybe she's out playing because she was NEVER out playing at this address! The neighbors didn't even know she existed!

 

[ValerieKay]

There would be no thought of maybe she's out playing because she was NEVER out playing at this address! The neighbors didn't even know she existed!

Yes exactly! Why would he waste any time looking around the neighborhood for her when he thought (or said he believed) that she had been kidnapped? There would be no reason for him to not call 911 immediately.
There is also no reason that so much time had passed since he claimed to have last seen Zahra. Any normal parent would check on their child if there was a fire in their yard or a ransom note found for a neighbor child.
And I could totally look past him sounding calm and unconcerned IF he had given concise, appropriate, RELEVANT information and not rambled on about fires and puberty.

 

[westsidefox64]

WELCOME TO WS FLAKES!!! Awesome first post.

 

[Allusonz]

Welcome Flakes

I also noted how extremely polite he was, but never knew about the word ma'm, so that was an interesting amount of information

I as well have remained calm in various situations so i totally understand what you are saying with respect to that aspect

I also believe that due to the 911 operator not sticking to the script and instead seeming to ask questions related to the fire incident put this call way out of context

WELCOME!!

 

[Allusonz]

The problem I have with the theory that some people are just naturally calm in emergencies is this: I have seen people quote several situations where they themselves were calm and collected during an emergency situation, some even in emergencies involving their children. However, in not one instance has anyone been dealing with this set of circumstances! Adam supposedly thought that his child had been abducted by some stranger with a huge grudge against his boss! Someone angry enough to set the yard on fire and seemingly planned to set the vehicle on fire! There would be no thought of maybe she's out playing because she was NEVER out playing at this address! The neighbors didn't even know she existed!

please dont take this out of context as that is not the intent whatsoever

i often would take my children over to their nanny and grandads, usually my father and i would have my mother settled for the evening by 9 and then my father and i along with my children would go outside talk, roast marshmellows etc

about 1 year after they had moved in there, and considering the fact that my mom was quite ill and i would stop by every day and every weekend, the male neighbor happened to see me outside with the kids; he asked who i was and what i was doing there and i truly thought he was joking so i started to laugh

he became very upset and stated that if he did not get a reply he was going to phone the police, needless to say i was shocked so i explained who we were and that i was there on a daily basis and had been for close to a year

this man and woman had lived there the entire time and had never seen or heard myself or children at any time

as for the other part re abduction he at first states my daughter is missing then as explains further the abduction part comes in

bizarre yes but then everything about this call in MO is bizarre

 

[Etilema]

...
That said, even if I were to take the fact that there seemed to be no urgency to his call as *just his way* and dismiss the unusual (imo) manner in which he spoke with the dispatcher and the odd things he said..again as *just laid back Adam* ...I CAN NOT get past the fact that in his voice there wasn't an ounce of panic or worry . It was more like ..'and yeah..oh by the way, my daughter's not in her room..we thought we had a kidnapping last night..all kinds of drama and stuff, but I didn't think to look in on my kid, blah..blah..blah'..like she was an afterthought or something..The lack of that *something* in his voice as a parent disturbs me greatly..

BBM

I totally, totally agree. These things are exactly the problem--zero urgency or fear or stress of any kind, combined with the content rambling on about extraneous details, rather than getting to the point. Actually, I was stunned when I first heard the 911 recording. It would be interesting for someone who does voice stress analysis (especially of AUSTRALIANS) to examine that call.

JMO

 

[Allusonz]

never thought of voice stress analysis interesting idea