NC - Zahra Clare Baker, 10, Hickory, 9 Oct. 2010 #28

[Snoopster]

Snoopster, that is exactly what I had been thinking this week, let Behavioural Profiler Det. Sgt. Jim Smyth at EB, he'll extract Zahra's whereabouts out of her! I am sure profile Pat Brown would agree also, she was a commentator on the case every night last week.

As one U.S. FBI agent said, Williams confession will definitely be used to teach interrogators how to extract confessions around the world.

Well, Wondergirl, thanks so much for your source post that I linked to. It contains a fantastic summary of links!

For Zahra's case I just find it soooooo frustrating that LE has EB & AB in their sights, but they just can't seem to close the deal. (or maybe they already have, and we just don't know yet?) I am so in awe of Det. Sgt. Smyth that I can't help but think he could help here!

 

[bellyup]

MOO ... IMO ... JMO ... and all that....

If the posting on HM truthfully is biomom .... I think it's awfully ballsy for biomom to be claiming that she was looking for zahra. There were news stories about ZB in Australian media. IIRC, AB and his mom lived in a very small town in Oz and had lived there for some time. There is no way she couldn't have located her PRIOR to AB meeting EB..... and AFTER they met, it wouldn't have been too hard either. There had to have been some public record of AB and EB marrying and at the very least KB (and likely other family and friends knew) who he had married. A quick google search on EB's (or AB's) name would have given her location as somewhere in NC since that's where she's been most of her life. Not to mention that ZB also appeared in MSM here in the states. It wouldn't even have taken a private investigator to have found ZB ... and if AB had brought ZB here illegally a call to the correct officials would have had LE all over the Bakers.

There is no way I'm believing the never given a chance to know been searching forever line. I have very little respect for any bio mom that doesn't at the very least maintain contact with their children or at least make every possible effort to do so. IMO I don't think even minimal effort was made in ZB's case. There is NOTHING that would keep me away from my child(ren). Even if I had medical issues, addiction, mental illness, etc. I would FIND A SAFE WAY to keep in touch with my child.

I find it rich that one would come forward with claims of love and searching and yet type the words " Adam and his hurtful and manipulative ways will come out in time." If you thought AB was hurtful and manipulative why leave your daughter with him ? And where were you when EB was going through cancer treatments?

 

[EastCoast]

This is really a simplistic thing IMO. LE is doing a great job. They knew what they were looking for ( a disposed mattress) They were making the not arresting Dad thing a tactic for them before they arrested him and he had the chance to lawyer up, dont you know Le got kind of freaked that he was headed for the airport? They had him traced the whole time of course, don't ever under evaluate LE. They are way on top of it. But, sad to say, I think the perps were trying hard to get away with this, and her body parts were disposed in several diffent places, via a wood chipper. Hence then bringing EB to many different sites. That is MOO.

 

[westsidefox64]

Please dont throw things at me JMO I have always thought AB was innocent. If Le thought he was guilty would he be out on bail now???Im new to this sluething thing but I cant imagine them not comming up with charges to hold him if they thought he was guilty.I think his arrest was a ruse to get EB to talk and I think it worked ...JMO

 

[gibby207]

Okay, okay, okay... Patty has saved the day again!! Maybe I can see from her recording of NG and study screen shots.... LOL It was near the end of NG that I saw it.

 

[sunsetbeach]

I've been asking for help as I have RL getting in the way and I can't find the video and I can't screen shot and... and...

I'm not much of a sleuther. LOL Feelin' a bit like Charlie Brown. :/

Here ya go ... it can been seen around the -2.59 mark

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Hickory-police--105899483.html


Sorry Gibby I thought you were looking for the shot of the back yard. This may have that other area from yesterday as well. Not sure though.

 

[tlcya]

Hubby is on his way home. Someone said they did spray Luminol and while Pete was there they were switching between a white light, pink light and also a type of dark red light. They were also taking pictures and swabbing. He said that to him and a few others it looked like stains under the lights.

Now he has earned an outright cyber smootch lips and all (spouses I hope will understand)! Thank him for his invaluable firsthand account of what he sees at family home while it is being searched/investigated. From all of us!

 

[shefner]

Why is it that I can sit on my puter for hours and nothing happens but as soon as I have to leave home for 14 hours, all heck breaks loose? That's not allowed! Do these investigators not realize how important it is to wait till I get home for the big discoveries to be uncovered?!

What a great day.....so much progress for little Zahra.

 

[dragonfly28601]

You said this all so beautifully, MandyLeigh. Your words mirror exactly how I feel.
I was watching the police chief during the pc, and I was thinking what a truely wonderful person he must be. He won't rest until this precious child is found. And his whole team is right there too.
This case is difficult for all of us, in one way or another. I can't imagine being in LE's shoes.
God bless each one of them.

Our police chief is a fantastic man. My husband and I took the "citizen's police academy" offered by the HPD earlier this year. During that course we learned all about the LE roles and I gained a new respect for them. And watching them through this has been bittersweet.

I noticed at noon today that they had crime scene tape around the house and watched them digging. I am just sick about the prosthesis they found.

 

[trigger]

I've been asking for help as I have RL getting in the way and I can't find the video and I can't screen shot and... and...

I'm not much of a sleuther. LOL Feelin' a bit like Charlie Brown. :/

I just found it...Posted by Pufstuf


http://www.wcnc.com/news/Hickory-police--105899483.html

 

[impatientredhead]

Please dont throw things at me JMO I have always thought AB was innocent. If Le thought he was guilty would he be out on bail now???Im new to this sluething thing but I cant imagine them not comming up with charges to hold him if they thought he was guilty.I think his arrest was a ruse to get EB to talk and I think it worked ...JMO

Assuming they have enough evidence to indict either of them for the death of Zahra it is still a strategic choice when to file charges.

Once they file charges the clock starts ticking on a speedy trial, which if the defendant has a decent attorney and the attorney sees the state has a cumbersome case (like a homicide without a body, no eyewitnesses, and conflicting statements) they rush to trial based entirely on catching the state with their evidence unprepared.

I am thinking this is the reasoning for the charges and the bond: supposedly his relatives have arrived in town, new resources to AB that LE does not know yet, nor know their intentions. Arrest him, make him post bond, if he tries to leave now he is actually in violation of something and they can detain him just for that action. No risk involved in filing charges early.

 

[Sherbie]

Having had some experience with titanium I'll tell you that it's pretty much indestructible with anything most people have available. The Ti-6Al-4V alloy that is often used for medical devices has a yield strength of up to 140,000 pounds per square inch (the pressure you would have to exert to scratch it) and softens around 1,830 degrees F. If the serial number was machined into it when it was made there would be no way outside of a properly equipped machine shop to eliminate it, and it it was fed into a wood chipper it would destroy the wood chipper's cutter almost instantly.

Thanks, ...awesome info! I still wonder, though, if attempting to destroy the prosthesis could have damaged the outer casing enough to interfere with the serial number (chief specifically mentioned retrieving the serial number from the outer cover/casing). Would the titanium be the internal part of the leg, with the outer casing comprised of some other material, or is the entire thing titanium?

 

[krimekat]

Please dont throw things at me JMO I have always thought AB was innocent. If Le thought he was guilty would he be out on bail now???Im new to this sluething thing but I cant imagine them not comming up with charges to hold him if they thought he was guilty.I think his arrest was a ruse to get EB to talk and I think it worked ...JMO

I don't want to believe he was part of this, either. I want to believe the Scary Fairy was manipulating him. But, time will tell, eh?

 

[trigger]

Our police chief is a fantastic man. My husband and I took the "citizen's police academy" offered by the HPD earlier this year. During that course we learned all about the LE roles and I gained a new respect for them. And watching them through this has been bittersweet.

I noticed at noon today that they had crime scene tape around the house and watched them digging. I am just sick about the prosthesis they found.

I cannot believe they found it. Its a true miracle. So many places it could have been placed at.

Marc Klass says LE is getting closer and closer to finding her.

 

[panthera]

Please dont throw things at me JMO I have always thought AB was innocent. If Le thought he was guilty would he be out on bail now???Im new to this sluething thing but I cant imagine them not comming up with charges to hold him if they thought he was guilty.I think his arrest was a ruse to get EB to talk and I think it worked ...JMO

In my opinion, AB may not be the one who actually killed Zahra, but he is far from innocent. If not for his "marriage" and bringing Zahra to the U.S., she probably would be a very happy almost 11 y/o girl having a good year at school in Australia - and with a proper fitting prosthesis. However, since she has been here, she has not received the proper care she needed (LE admitted they need records from Australia re: positive identification of the prosthesis), etc. and there have been reports of abuse. On the very morning of the fire, and upon finding the ransom note, AB never once checked in on Zahra. And I could go on and on.....MOO.

 

[passionflower]

How deep is the hole they found the item in question???

 

[tlcya]

Assuming they have enough evidence to indict either of them for the death of Zahra it is still a strategic choice when to file charges.

Once they file charges the clock starts ticking on a speedy trial, which if the defendant has a decent attorney and the attorney sees the state has a cumbersome case (like a homicide without a body, no eyewitnesses, and conflicting statements) they rush to trial based entirely on catching the state with their evidence unprepared.

I am thinking this is the reasoning for the charges and the bond: supposedly his relatives have arrived in town, new resources to AB that LE does not know yet, nor know their intentions. Arrest him, make him post bond, if he tries to leave now he is actually in violation of something and they can detain him just for that action. No risk involved in filing charges early.

LOVE it when you whip out all the legal system time clocks and details! I work for attorneys but we've never done criminal law and I really enjoy when you educate me in this area. ty

 

[Kat]

hmmm... maybe the bloody mattress rumors were true

this would be what we said yesterday, if the mattress is bloody there should be blood on the walls where she died

so sad

Hi IRH, lots going on today for sure! glad you are here.

I agree because they said fairly quickly there was DNA on the mattress that was found. To me that means that the source of the DNA was visible to the naked eye. Leaning me to believe most likely blood, and not spots here and there, significant blood.

I do believe that is it is looking more and more likely that Zahra was murdered with violence.

Not directed at IRH.

FWIW, the use of the words "soft kill" in relation to how a child is murdered is such a misnomer IMHO. It gives the impression that the death came more easily. Not IMHO. Any method used to murder that doesn't involve complete brain damage to the victim within a second or two causes immense pain for the victim as they suffer the process of death. Especially a child so full of life.

Of course we could all argue specific instances where death is almost instantly, but for the most part IMHO no matter how Zahra was murdered she did suffer as life left her. Bless her heart.

JMHO

 

[SherlockHomey]

OK, I am back from the scene at the Hickory house. A lot going on. The media has mostly cleared out and a few onlookers. One thing I did see I thought was strange; the SBI agents picked up something and brought it into the front bedroom and it looked (pretty sure) like a mattress! They were bringing things from the back bedroom (assuming Zahra's room because it had pink drapes up) and putting them in the front to inspect them more thoroughly. They were using flashlights and what I think was luminol (looked like a blacklight as in glowing purple) in both the back and front bedroom.

When I came back they were putting a lot of things in the second Crime Scene truck. I have photos and a lot of the SBI were standing around. One took off with a Crime Scene bag and left (photo of that too). They then went back into the house to start working again.

My photos are uploading now. They are pretty high res so it's taking awhile.

PunkNLuv, I met your hubby. Sweet guy!

Any new news while I was gone?

 

[Peliman]

speculation

Hmmm ok puzzle me this. When did EB's daughter(I think) say she saw Zahra the same Thursday AB claims Zahra was in bed at 2:30am? Help me here because I'm unsure.

If there was a new mattress to replace the old one. Would that have happened prior to Zahra going missing or after? I'm confusing myself. KWIM?