Monument unveiling Saturday to honor Ohio girl missing since 1999

KETTERING, Ohio (AP) — The family of a 9-year-old girl who disappeared while walking their dog in 1999 now has a memorial monument to her in a southwest Ohio cemetery.

The monument for Erica Baker will be dedicated this weekend. The Dayton Daily News reported the girl’s mother had been reluctant to have one.

“The rest of the family has wanted to do this for several years, but I refused until now,” Misty Baker told the newspaper. “To me, I felt like it would mean I would be giving up. But I shouldn’t look at it that way. That isn’t true.”

Authorities believe Erica was struck and likely fatally injured by a van the day she was last seen by her family. A man who told police he buried her body served prison time after being convicted of gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, but her remains were never located.

The public is invited to see the monument Saturday at David’s Cemetery in the Dayton suburb of Kettering, Erica’s hometown.