ZAHRA CLAIRE BAKER - Aged 10 years - Hickory, North Carolina (USA)

Examiner

11 November 2010

Zahra Baker latest news: New evidence found in case of missing girl (video)

http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-national/zahra-baker-latest-news-new-evidence-found-case-of-missing-girl-video

Associated Content

11 November 2010

Zahra Baker Case -- Human Remains Reportedly Found in Search for Missing Girl

The Hickory Record and ABC News are reporting that remains have been found in connection to the searches being conducted by Hickory Police and other law enforcement agencies for missing 10-year-old Zahra Baker.

Although the Hickory Record cautiously reported that what the investigators found were "possible" human remains, ABC News, basing their information on affiliate WSOC-TV in Charlotte, have reported that the remains found were indeed human. Police would not confirm that remains had been found but did say that the discovery "could provide valuable information" to the Zahra Baker investigation.

The remains were found in Caldwell County near a creek in an area that police had covered before, once when they were accompanied by Elisa Baker, Zahra's stepmother. Police had cordoned off the area Wednesday, keeping everyone out. A reporter for WSOC returned to the Caldwell County location Thursday and found that a large hole measuring about 10 feet long and two and a half feet deep had been excavated.

The remains, according to WSOC, were sent to the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) for further analysis.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5999900/zahra_baker_case_human_remains_reportedly.html?cat=17

Hickory Daily Record

11 November 2010

Possible remains found in Zahra disappearance‎
Hole dug, evidence taken at Dudley Shoals search site in Caldwell County

GRANITE FALLS --When investigators searched the Dudley Shoals area in Caldwell County on Wednesday, they found possible human remains in connection with Zahra Baker’s homicide.

The evidence is being sent to the SBI lab in Raleigh to be analyzed. Hickory police is saying the evidence “could provide valuable information in the Zahra Baker case.”

On Wednesday, Gunpowder Creek was searched, as well as the brush along the banks. A BOB-CAT was also brought in to trim the brush farther up the banks. In one area, investigators searched about 10 feet from the banks of Gunpowder Creek. At this spot, there is now a two-and-a-half foot deep hole that gapes 10-feet wide. The hole is about 25 feet from the end of a paved access road.

The hole wasn’t visible on Wednesday, before law enforcement closed the road to traffic around mid-day. Inside this hole is a smaller, distinct, round hole in the dirt. All of the dirt from the hole was also taken with the investigators.

A white evidence flag was marked at the edge of the hole. At previous search sites, a white flag was used to mark bones.

There was a medical examiner from Chapel Hill who was on-hand at the search site Wednesday, according to officials on the scene.

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/nov/11/14/investigators-digging-clues-search-zahra-ar-529180/

7 News

Zahra Baker's body may have been found

By Peter Mitchell, AAP

November 12, 2010, 2:36 pm

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/8309632/zahra-bakers-body-may-have-been-found/

9 News

Zahra Baker's body may have been found

14:11 AEST Fri Nov 12 2010

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8136324

The Australian

Zahra Baker's body may have been found

From: AAP November 12, 2010 8:13AM

POLICE investigating the disappearance of 10-year-old Australian girl Zahra baker in the United States have found "valuable" evidence.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/zahra-bakers-body-may-have-been-found/story-e6frg6so-1225952451970

The Age

New evidence found in Zahra Baker case: police

November 12, 2010 - 8:10AM

http://www.theage.com.au/world/new-evidence-found-in-zahra-baker-case-police-20101112-17pru.html

The Sydney Morning Herald

Human remains found in search for Zahra Baker: reports

November 12, 2010 - 11:22AM

http://www.smh.com.au/world/human-remains-found-in-search-for-zahra-baker-reports-20101112-17psv.html

The Republic

12 November 2010

Investigators to discuss evidence in the case of missing disabled North Carolina girl

Police are going to discuss new evidence in the case of a disabled North Carolina girl who has been missing for more than a month.

The Hickory Police Department's briefing Friday afternoon comes after investigators uncovered the new evidence earlier this week. They have not said what they found.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/6b546c7f4aef4147876b401e1b497336/US--Missing_Girl-North_Carolina/

ABC 11

12 November 2010

Cops to discuss evidence in missing NC girl's case‎

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7785427

AOL News

12 November 2010

Major Announcement Expected in Zahra Baker Case‎

Investigators in North Carolina have scheduled a media briefing for today, at which time they are expected to make a major announcement in the case of Zahra Clare Baker, the 10-year-old disabled girl who is missing and feared slain.

In a statement to AOL News, Hickory, N.C., police said the formal briefing will be held at 4 p.m. at the Floyd W. Lucas Jr. Police Headquarters in Hickory. Investigators have declined to make a statement prior to the briefing.

Some media outlets are speculating that investigators will confirm rumors that Zahra's remains were recently found in Caldwell County.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/major-announcement-expected-in-zahra-baker-case/19714511

Atlanta Journal Constitution

12 November 2010

Police think they've found body of missing NC girl‎

Investigators said Friday they believe they have found the remains of a disabled North Carolina girl who was reported missing about a month ago.

Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said investigators matched a bone found a couple of weeks ago with 10-year-old Zahra Baker's DNA.

"I've been dreading this moment from early on in the investigation," Adkins said. "We have recovered enough physical evidence to think we have found Zahra."

Police also found a child's remains earlier this week in western North Carolina in an area near where Zahra's stepmother once lived. The remains will need to be tested to make sure they also belong to Zahra, Adkins said.

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

Adkins did not take any questions at the news conference and police have not said how they think Zahra died.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/police-think-theyve-found-738673.html

KPIC

12 November 2010

Police think they've found body of missing girl‎

Investigators said Friday they believe they have found the remains of a disabled North Carolina girl who was reported missing about a month ago.

Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said investigators matched a bone found a couple of weeks ago with 10-year-old Zahra Baker's DNA.

"I've been dreading this moment from early on in the investigation," Adkins said. "We have recovered enough physical evidence to think we have found Zahra."

Police also found a child's remains earlier this week in western North Carolina in an area near where Zahra's stepmother once lived. The remains will need to be tested to make sure they are Zahra's, Adkins said.

http://www.kpic.com/news/national/107552208.html


http://www.kpic.com/news/national/107552208.html

Houston Chronicle

12 November 2010

Police think they've found NC girl's remains‎

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7291991.html

Courier Mail

November 13, 2010 2:31AM

Confirmed: Human remains are Zahra Baker's

HUMAN remains found in North Carolina earlier this week have been identified as those of missing Australian girl Zahra Baker, a source close to the investigation has confirmed.

The source said police in Hickory will hold a news conference at 4:00pm local time to announce that the remains have been identified.

Authorities said on Thursday that potentially valuable evidence had been discovered.

“Search teams in Caldwell County yesterday located evidence that could provide valuable information in the Zahra Baker case,” the statement said.

“This evidence will be analyzed at the NC State Bureau of Investigation's lab. We understand the concern and interest in this case by the public but we must be cautious in prematurely releasing information so it will not jeopardise any future criminal proceedings.”

The search focused on an area near Gunpowder Creek in Caldwell County, according to WCNC-TV. Authorities began ordering the media to leave the area at approximately noon local time Wednesday but did not give an explanation.

Authorities discovered a bone last week that may be connected to Zahra’s case. Police have also uncovered the 10-year-old girl’s prosthetic leg and removed a mattress that had belonged to Zahra from a landfill.

Zahra’s father and stepmother, Adam and Elisa Baker, reported the girl missing on October 9, but police announced days later that they were investigating the disappearance as a homicide.

Investigators, who have said Zahra was last seen on September 25, have used cadaver dogs to search her family’s car and home.

Elisa Baker was arrested on unrelated charges after reporting the girl’s disappearance. She later admitted to writing a $1 million ransom note in connection with the case and was charged with obstruction of justice.

Adam Baker was later arrested on charges of writing bad checks.

Zahra was born in Australia but moved to the US after Adam Baker met the woman who would become her stepmother on the internet two years ago. Zahra suffered from hearing loss and had her lower leg amputated due to two bouts with cancer.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/confirmed-human-remains-are-zahra-bakers/story-e6freonf-1225952962476

Associated Press

13th November 2010

Mystery deepens over disabled NC girl's killing

HICKORY, N.C. (AP) — Police were confident a freckle-faced disabled 10-year-old girl was killed, but the mystery of how she died deepened when police said a set of remains was uncovered five miles away from where one of her bones was found.

The bone, discovered in some brush alongside Zahra Baker's prosthetic leg, was discovered in an area near where the family lived until mid-September. Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker, is currently in jail, charged with trying to throw off investigators with a bogus ransom note. Her father, Adam Baker, has been arrested on charges unrelated to Zahra's disappearance and is free on bail.

Recently, Elisa Baker began cooperating with police and led them to the areas where the remains and the bone were found, though she has not been charged in Zahra's death.

"I've been dreading this moment from early on in the investigation," said Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins, who explained that investigators matched the bone with the child's DNA. "We have recovered enough physical evidence to think we have found Zahra."

Soon after Zahra was reported missing, investigators cast doubt on accounts given by her father and stepmother. Police had trouble finding anyone other than Zahra's parents who had seen her alive in the weeks before her disappearance, and a suspicious early morning fire occurred at the family's home several hours before she was reported missing.

It was then that police discovered a ransom note addressed to Adam Baker's boss on the windshield of Baker's car. Police went to that man's house, and found him and his daughter to be fine. Elisa Baker, 42, admitted writing the note and has been charged with obstruction of justice, police said.

Adam Baker, 33, is facing one count each of assault with a deadly weapon and failure to return rental property, two counts of communicating threats and five counts of writing worthless checks, authorities said.

Zahra, whose cancer forced her to use a prosthetic leg and hearing aids, was reported missing by her parents Oct. 9. They said she was last seen in her bed at their home in Hickory, about 50 miles northwest of Charlotte.

Zahra was born in Australia and moved to North Carolina about two years ago after her father met his soon-to-be wife online. Zahra's friends and relatives in Giru, Australia, described her as an outgoing, happy girl despite the cancer, and said she didn't want to come to the U.S.

"Investigators, agents, officers and staff who worked on this case are devastated that we were not able to find Zahra alive and bring her home safely," said Adkins, who wouldn't answer any questions at a news conference.

District Attorney James Gaither Jr. refused to say if the girl was dismembered or if any more charges were imminent.

"I'm not going to discuss that right now," Gaither said.

Neighbors and relatives have said that Elisa Baker had a short temper and was abusive toward her stepdaughter. Caldwell County Department of Social Services investigated the family because Zahra went to school with bruises and a teacher alerted school officials, who have said they are prohibited by law from discussing the case.

Zahra's friends and family in Australia were less than thrilled when she moved away, especially since her medical treatments were free there. Kim Wright, who became something of a surrogate mother to Zahra in Australia, told The Associated Press they became friends four years ago at a cancer fundraising event. She was sitting in a chair waiting for her head to be shaved to raise money when Zahra approached, took her hand and told her not to be scared.

Zahra was diagnosed with bone cancer about five years ago. She had her leg amputated and a few months later, doctors discovered tumors in her lungs. She had chemotherapy, but the treatment led to a partial hearing loss. Still, she remained upbeat, attending a camp for children with cancer and inspiring her fellow campers by taking part in all the physical activities.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hQi_a71yGeLtipQQ9iD0NmM86hZQ?docId=0693d719e52642b9af959e70e6179fd1

Herald Sun

13th November 2010

POLICE in the US believe they have found the body of missing Australian girl Zahra Baker.

Human remains believed to be Zahra's were strewn over a vast area on the outskirts of the North Carolina city of Hickory, suggesting the freckled-faced 10-year-old - a partially deaf amputee - suffered a violent death.

"We've recovered enough physical evidence to believe we have found Zahra," Hickory Police Department chief Tom Adkins said.

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

The dramatic development, revealed in North Carolina last night, meant investigators were one step closer to solving the month-old murder mystery that has shocked the US.

Detectives during the week discovered what they believed were Zahra's remains beside a creek outside Hickory, about 8km from the spot where her prosthetic leg and one of her bones were discovered during previous searches.

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Zahra's stepmother, American Elisa Baker, has twice helped them search the creekside location.

Zahra, who grew up in Wagga Wagga and Far North Queensland, wore prosthesis because she lost her leg to cancer when she was five.

She moved with her Australian father, Adam Baker, to the US after he met Elisa Baker online two years ago.

Mr Baker reported Zahra missing on October 9, but police fear she may have been murdered before that date.

Search teams found her prosthetic leg and a bone believed to be Zahra's at an illegal roadside dumping site in the Hickory area in recent weeks.

Mr Adkins last night revealed that DNA tests had confirmed the bone belonged to the little girl.

He said the remains found by Gunpowder Creek on Wednesday "were consistent with a child".

They have been sent to the North Carolina Medical Examiner's Office for DNA analysis.

DNA from the remains will be compared with a DNA profile created with samples from Zahra's father and her biological mother, Emily Dietrich, who has flown from New South Wales to North Carolina as police continue to investigate.

Zahra had not been seen by a person outside of her family since September 25.

Adam Baker is due in court this week charged with writing bad cheques to pay for groceries.

Police have said he is a person of interest in the case.

"This is still a developing case and we are gathering all facts," Mr Adkins said.

Elisa Baker has been charged with writing a fake ransom note, a stunt police allege aimed to confuse their search and investigation.

The most public insight into her view of what happened to Zahra comes from letters she allegedly wrote to a Florida man, Eric Gein, who runs a website dedicated to violent crimes.

In a letter to Mr Gein, distributed to media outlets, she allegedly pointed the finger at her husband, declaring: "He knows what's happened to Zahra."

"We really didn't kill her, but what he did after the fact is kinda (sic) horrifying," the handwritten letter said.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/zahra-bakers-body-found/story-e6frf7lf-1225953130111

Sky News

Saturday November 13, 2010

US police confirm Zahra death

North Carolina police have now confirmed that remains of a child found in bushland are those of missing 10-year-old Australian girl Zahra Baker.

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

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

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

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

'According to medical examiner staff on site when the remains were recovered, they are consistent with a child,' chief Adkins said.

'Until that test is complete we cannot officially confirm they are Zahra's.

'A timetable for those results are not available at this time.'

Zahra's biological mother Emily Dietrich has flown from Australia to Hickory and will help police with building Zahra's DNA profile.

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

'Please understand I can't get into many specifics about the investigation, but the DNA evidence from the bone found on Christie Road matched the DNA sample from the (Baker's) house,' Chief Adkins said.

'... The sample from the home was taken from personal items believed to be Zahra's.

'A known DNA profile of Zahra will be created from cheek swabs from her biological mother and father.'

The North Carolina Medical Examiner will use DNA analysis to determine if the body is Zahra's, Adkins said.

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

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

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

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

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

Police made the announcements at a Friday news conference, the third since the pretty 10-year-old girl whose smiling photos - and struggle with bone cancer - captured worldwide attention when she was reported missing.

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

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

Zahra's prosthetic leg was found in Caldwell County, and the bone that investigators say is Zahra's was also found there. The bone was sent to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for inspection, which compared it to Zahra's DNA.

http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=538778&vId=1929600

I just can't read these. I'm just too sad. How on earth can people do this?

Charlotte Observer

12 November 2010

Zahra Baker's mother arrives in Hickory



http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/12/1832543/zahra-bakers-mother-arrives-in.html

Herald Sun

November 14, 2010 7:53PM

Zahra Baker's mother tells of her anguish

ZAHRA Baker's Australian mother says she has been "crushed" by the mystery surrounding her daughter's death.

Emily Dietrich has gone to Hickory in North Carolina where US police have found bones they've confirmed are her missing 10-year-old daughter Zahra Baker.

North Carolina police have been looking for the young girl - who lost part of a leg to bone cancer five years ago - since her father Adam Baker and stepmother Elisa Baker reported her missing on October 9.

"Still hurt, still crushed," Ms Dietrich told Channel 7 from Hickory, North Carolina.

"It didn't make a difference trying to prepare myself it didn't make a difference to anybody.

"As hard as it was to hear the news they were telling me it was just as hard to watch them cry while they told me and apologised to me. All they wanted was to find her and bring her back alive."

But that wasn't going to happen.

"I have to take a step back and think of the possibility that maybe Adam wasn't involved and maybe he is hurting as well.

"I can't even attempt to guess the type of anger that's going to come out of me when we find out."

Ms Dietrich, from Wagga Wagga in southwestern New South Wales, said that since arriving in the US she'd been flooded with sympathy from locals and felt proud that her daughter had brought a community together.

US police earlier said they'd found a set of remains eight kilometres from where one of Zahra's bones was found. That bone was discovered in brush, alongside Zahra's prosthetic leg, in an area near where the family lived until mid-September.

Zahra's 42-year-old stepmother, Elisa Baker, is currently in custody, charged with trying to throw off investigators with a bogus ransom note.

Her 33-year-old father, Adam Baker, has been arrested on charges unrelated to Zahra's disappearance and is free on bail. He is facing one count each of assault with a deadly weapon and failure to return rental property, two counts of communicating threats and five counts of writing worthless cheques, authorities said.

Ms Dietrich has said that several times she had tried unsuccessfully to make contact with Zahra, using the internet to track her down, but would lose contact when her father would unexpectedly take her daughter somewhere else.

"I can't explain the anger, the hurt," she said.

"He had no right to do any of it, to keep her from me."

She said she didn't know her daughter - whose cancer had forced her to use a prosthetic leg and hearing aids - had moved to the US until three days before Zahra was reported missing in early October.

"I never got to say goodbye. I never even got to say hello," she said.

"Unless you understand the story, you won't understand the pain."

Ms Dietrich hasn't seen Zahra since she was eight months old. Her father took her to America a year ago after meeting Elisa Baker on the internet.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/zahra-bakers-mother-tells-of-her-anguish/story-e6frf7jx-1225953441699

WCNC

November 26, 2010

Memorial service scheduled for Zahra Baker

HICKORY, N.C. – A memorial service for 10-year-old Zahra Baker has been scheduled in Hickory.

According to Drum Funeral Home and Cremation Services the memorial service will be held at their Hickory location on 29th Avenue Northeast at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2.

Right now it hasn’t been decided where Zahra will be buried.

Zahra was reported missing from her Hickory home on Oct. 9. Her father and stepmother, Adam and Elisa Baker, told police they’d last seen the girl sleeping in her bed.

Zahra Baker was born in Australia. Her biological mother, Emily Dietrich, battled post-partum depression and says that Adam left with their daughter.

The 10-year-old battled cancer twice and lost part of one leg and her hearing to the disease. She wore a prosthetic leg and hearing aids.

Investigators found Zahra’s prosthetic leg in a wooded area off of Christie Road in late October. Just over a week later police found a bone in that search area as well.

On Nov. 12, Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said that DNA from that bone matched an item taken from Zahra’s home that was believed to have belonged to the 10-year-old.

At that point, Adkins said that police had recovered enough physical evidence to believe they’d found Zahra.

Children Protection Council of Catawba County held a candlelight vigil for Zahra on Tuesday, Nov. 16 – Zahra would have turned 11-years-old that day.

So far, no charges have been filed in connection with the girl's death.

Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker, has been charged with obstruction of justice. Police say she admitted writing a bogus ransom note.

Court papers filed by Elisa Baker’s attorney say that Zahra’s stepmother told police the 10-year-old had been dismembered.

Those documents requested a bond reduction for Elisa Baker because she had cooperated with police.

The owner of a crime memorabilia website shared letters, allegedly written by Elisa Baker, that point blame towards Adam Baker.

Adam Baker was arrested on unrelated charges but is now out of jail.

Map: Important locations in Zahra Baker case

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Memorial-scheduled-for-Zahra-Baker-110874714.html

Hickory Record

November 27, 2010

Celebration of Life for Zahra Baker set for Thursday

HICKORY --

A Celebration of Life Service for Zahra Clare Baker, the 10-year-old Australian girl whose courageous life and tragic death captivated many people in the Greater Hickory Metro area, will be Thursday at Drum Funeral Home.

The celebration service will be in the chapel of Drum Funeral Home, Hickory, at 7 p.m. The Rev. Larry Cooley will officiate. The service is open to the public.

Zahra, who survived a prolonged bout with cancer, was reported missing Oct. 9.

No one has been charged in her disappearance and death, and the investigation led by Hickory police is ongoing.

When Zahra was first reported missing Oct. 9, an Amber Alert was issued. But the investigation into her disappearance was changed to a homicide investigation Oct. 12. Repeated searches by law enforcement personnel covering parts of Catawba, Burke and Caldwell counties resulted in the unearthing of remains thought to be Zahra's.

These sites included Foothills Environmental landfill, woods along Christie Road where a bone and her prosthetic leg was found, and Dudley Shoals Road, where a child's skeletal remains were found Nov. 10. Hickory police confirmed Nov. 12 that the bone found on Christie Road belonged to Zahra.

The date and cause of Zahra's death have not been determined. Investigators are awaiting DNA and forensic information from the state medical examiner's office.

The family requests that instead of flowers, memorials in Zahra's name go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Drum Funeral Home & Cremation Services is at 940 29th Ave., NE.

Zahra’s obituary will be available online Sunday.

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/nov/27/12/celebration-life-zahra-baker-set-thursday-ar-571636/

WISTV

Posted: Nov 29, 2010

Family changes plans for Zahra memorial, service now private

HICKORY, N.C. (WBTV/AP) - A memorial service that was expected to be held this week for a 10-year-old disabled girl, who police think was dismembered after her death in Hickory, has now been canceled.

The funeral service for Zahra Clare Baker, 10, has been changed to a private memorial service to be held at a later date. The changes were made per the wishes of the family, the Drum Funeral Home told WBTV.

Originally a public service had been planned for Thursday evening, but it has since been canceled.

There will still be an opportunity for visitors to stop by Drum Funeral Home on 29th Ave. in Hickory to sign the register book and view a memorial tribute of Zahra on Thursday evening, December 2, 2010 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and on Friday, December 3, 2010 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

A memorial was held Nov. 16 by child advocates, but this funeral service is being put together by Zahra's father, Adam Baker and other family members. However, Elisa Baker, Zahra's stepmother, is not mentioned in the funeral announcement.

The memorial will be open to the public. Those who wish to make donations are asked to give to St. Jude's Children's Hospital instead of flowers or other gifts.

Full Coverage: The Zahra Baker case

Zahra used a prosthetic leg and hearing aids after a bout with cancer. She was reported missing on October 13 and police said on Nov. 12 that they found her remains on Nov. 10 in a site off Christie Road.

No one has been charged in the girl's disappearance or death.

Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker, is accused of obstructing justice in the investigation. Police say that Elisa Baker wrote a fake ransom note to throw investigators off the trail.

She later was reported to cooperate and led police to the girl's remains.

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13579917

Click here to access Zahra's obituary and to sign a guestbook