Police treat missing-girl case as homicide

Associated Press

HICKORY, N.C.

Investigators indicated Tuesday they believe someone killed a 10-year-old girl with disabilities who was reported missing over the weekend, and accused her stepmother of trying to throw off investigators with a fake ransom note.

Police said the search for Zahra Clare Baker has shifted to a homicide investigation, canceling a missing-child alert for the shy girl who used hearing aids and a prosthetic leg because of bone cancer.

The girl’s stepmother, Elisa Baker, is the only person accused in the case so far. Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said she was charged with felony obstruction of justice after admitting she wrote the note, which asked for $1 million.

Complaints filed in court by a relative and neighbor in recent months portray Elisa Baker as nasty-tempered and willing to use a gun or her fists to settle arguments.

At a news conference, Adkins did not take any questions or further explain why the case was being treated as a homicide probe. A search warrant revealed on Monday that police dogs detected the smell of human remains on cars belonging to the father and stepmother.