Elisa Baker

Case record: Elisa Baker

Overview

Elisa Baker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the death of her 10-year-old stepdaughter, Zahra Baker. Baker was sentenced to 18 years in prison on September 14, 2011. She later received an additional 10 years in 2013 for drug-related charges.

Timeline

• October 9, 2010 — Elisa Baker reported Zahra missing; a 911 call was placed at 5:30 am reporting a fire in the back of the family residence in Hickory.
• October 10, 2010 — Search and rescue dogs were sent to search the Baker house and cars; Elisa Baker was arrested for various crimes including communicating threats, writing bad checks, larceny, and driving with a revoked license.
• October 27, 2010 — Zahra Baker’s prosthetic leg was found.
• November 2010 — Elisa Baker led police to different areas in Catawba County and Caldwell County to find Zahra’s scattered remains; numerous bones were found, and Zahra’s head was not found.
• February 21, 2011 — Elisa Baker was indicted for second-degree murder.
• September 14, 2011 — Elisa Baker was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
• 2013 — Elisa Baker was given an additional 10 years in 2013 for drug-related charges.

The offence

Zahra Baker was murdered and dismembered in the fall of 2010. Her remains were found scattered in various locations around North Carolina.

Baker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Zahra’s death.

Investigation

Missing person report and initial searches

Adam Baker reported Zahra missing from their Hickory, N.C., home on October 9, 2010, although authorities believed the girl had been killed more than two weeks earlier. Multiple searches were conducted for Zahra, but authorities were unable to locate her at that time.

On October 23, 2010, Elisa Baker’s lawyer contacted the district attorney’s office and indicated Baker had information that would solve the mystery of Zahra’s disappearance. The prosecutor’s office agreed to terms involving the scope of prosecution depending on whether Baker’s statement to law enforcement was truthful.

Baker’s statements led authorities to locations where investigators recovered Zahra’s dismembered body.

911 calls and the ransom note

A 911 call was made by Elisa Baker on October 9, 2010 at 5:30 am, reporting a fire in the back of the family residence in Hickory.

When police came for the reported fire, there was a ransom note and the smell of gasoline coming from Adam’s company truck, a Chevrolet Tahoe. In a second 911 phone call made when Zahra was reported missing around 2 pm on the same day, Adam Baker explained that during a fire in their backyard a $1 million ransom note was found on his company truck, addressed to Adam’s boss and landlord, Mark Coffey. Adam stated that they called 911 earlier that day about the fire and implied that whoever started the fire may have done so to distract the alleged kidnapper in order to take Zahra, and that the alleged kidnapper mistakenly confused Zahra for Mr. Coffey’s daughter.

A note attributed to the incident included the text: "Mr. Coffey, you like being in control. Now who is in control? We have your daughter and your pot smoking red head son is next unless you do what is asked. 1,000,000 unmarked. Will be in touch soon." Also written at the top and bottom of the note was: "No cops."

Arrest related to the investigation

On October 10, 2010, search and rescue dogs were sent to search the Baker’s house and cars. The dogs gave positive alerts to the smell of human remains on both of the Baker’s cars, the Chevrolet Tahoe and a sedan. The police took swabs of what they thought may be blood from the car.

On October 10, 2010, Elisa Baker was arrested for various crimes including communicating threats, writing bad checks, larceny and driving with a revoked license, crimes unrelated to the death of Zahra.

Baker was next charged with obstruction of justice after admitting that she wrote the ransom note, which led the police astray.

Cooperation, recovery of remains, and evidentiary findings

Elisa Baker reportedly told investigators that Zahra died after being sick for 2 weeks, and that both parents dismembered her and hid the remains. Baker later reportedly said Adam dismembered Zahra alone after she died, and they both hid the remains.

Baker told police that Zahra died on September 24, and she was not reported missing until October 9.

Elisa Baker allegedly led police to multiple locations to find Zahra’s scattered remains. Numerous bones were found, but Zahra’s head was not found. Elisa Baker also reportedly told police they could find Zahra’s body parts in the drain trap of the bathtub and that plastic gloves she used could be found in her bathroom.

A prosthetic leg was found in late October off a road in Caldwell County near a former residence of Elisa Baker; police matched the serial number of the prosthetic leg from Zahra’s medical records obtained from Australia to confirm it was Zahra’s leg.

Elisa Baker allegedly told her attorney where possible evidence relating to Zahra’s death could be found. It was reported that Zahra’s prosthetic leg was left in a dumpster that she and Adam had disposed of at Fox Ridge Apartments in Hickory. Investigators also reportedly confirmed a mattress fitting the description was found in a landfill after Baker said she threw Zahra’s mattress in a dumpster.

Baker led police to another dumpster behind a grocery store in Hudson, where she and Adam dumped a car cover and bed cover, which was used to hide and transport Zahra.

Autopsy and cause of death ruling

Since no cause of death could be determined, Zahra’s death was ruled an “undetermined violent homicide.” An autopsy released by the North Carolina Medical Examiner ruled out the possibility that Zahra had died a natural death. The autopsy concluded that she died from “undetermined homicidal violence.” Her skull, right arm and most of both legs have not been recovered.

Arrest, charges, and indictments

Second-degree murder indictment

In February, Elisa Baker was indicted for second-degree murder. The indictment handed up by a grand jury in Catawba County, N.C., asserted that Baker had “a history and pattern of physical, verbal and psychological abuse of the victim” and that she had “desecrated the victim’s body” to hinder detection.

A grand jury returned a second-degree murder indictment on February 21, 2011, stating that she had “a history and pattern of physical, verbal and psychological abuse of the victim.” The grand jury also alleged that she had “secreted” Zahra from her relatives prior to the homicide to hinder the investigation and “desecrated (Zahra's) body to hinder detection, investigation and prosecution of the offense.”

Five aggravating circumstances were cited as:

• Elisa Baker had a history of physical, verbal and psychological abuse of the child.
• She secreted the child from her family, before and after the crime.
• She desecrated Zahra’s body to hinder the murder investigation and prosecution.
• Zahra was young, and physically infirm/handicapped.
• Elisa Baker took advantage of a position of trust.

Elisa Baker also entered a guilty plea to obstruction of justice in an unrelated case.

Identity theft and other charges

Identity theft charges were filed against Adam Baker in April 2011 and against Elisa Baker in February 2011. Adam Baker was charged with identity theft and obtaining property under false pretenses, with it claimed that Adam used the identity of a man named James Starbuck and his social security number to get power connected to his apartment. James Starbuck was described as the husband of Elisa’s daughter, Brittany Starbuck.

Adam was also previously charged with passing worthless checks, communicating threats, assault with a deadly weapon and failure to return property. With the new charges, Adam was ordered not to leave North Carolina without notifying the district attorney’s office, ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device on his ankle, and ordered to meet with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement once a week.

Elisa Baker was reported to have used her daughter Brittany Starbuck’s personal information to obtain telephone and utility service at one of the family residences in Caldwell County in March 2010. Baker pleaded not guilty to four counts of identity theft in May 2011.

Drug charges

In May 2011, Elisa Baker was indicted with seven drug counts for the time period of May 2006 through October 2010. She was alleged to have distributed Oxycodone, Hydrocodone and Alprazolam, which were prescription drugs for pain and anxiety.

Baker was charged with possessing, distributing and conspiring to distribute prescription drugs. On June 2 of 2011, she pleaded not guilty to all seven federal drug charges.

Trial and pleas

Elisa Baker pleaded guilty to murdering Zahra.

She did not enter a plea to the murder charges at the time some procedural descriptions were written earlier in the proceedings. She was described as being scheduled for trial on the second-degree murder charges in August 2011, and as facing up to 30 years in prison if convicted. She was held in the Catawba County Jail without bond.

Sentencing

Elisa Baker was sentenced to 18 years in prison on September 14, 2011.

In 2013, she was given an additional 10 years for drug-related charges.

Outcome

Elisa Baker’s guilty plea resulted in an 18-year prison sentence for second-degree murder, and an additional 10-year sentence in 2013 for drug-related charges.

Other details

Zahra Baker

Zahra Clare Baker was born in Wagga Wagga, Australia. Her dates of birth and death were given as November 16, 1999 - September 24, 2010. She was hearing-impaired and had lost a leg to bone cancer. Zahra’s dismembered remains were found in November 2010.

Allegations and statements about abuse

In court proceedings and related reporting, the grand jury asserted that Baker had a history and pattern of physical, verbal and psychological abuse of Zahra.

Multiple former neighbors and family members described Zahra’s home life as abusive and alleged physical punishment and neglect. For example:

• Karen Yount said: "She was always beating her," and added, "I told her to stop, but she wouldn't listen to anyone. That poor girl."
• Kayla Rotenberry said: "She told me that she was trying to spank Zahra, but hit her on her prosthetic leg," and that when Adam asked about the injury, Elisa said "she fell and hurt her hand. She didn't want him to know. She knew he would be mad."
• Brandy Stapleton was described as confirming Elisa’s account of injuring her hand.
• A family friend said: "I hate to say it, but I don't feel good about this," and: "I really think Elisa had something to do with it."
• Renee Bobbitt said she saw Elisa hit the child a couple of times and described Zahra being sent to school with black eyes.

District Attorney Jay Gaither said:

• "We can hope and pray this conviction will bring closure to the family of Zahra and the community."
• "I think the images you see, the smile, a handicapped girl that age, is just emotionally upsetting."
• "Law enforcement doesn't show it, but I think that they are affected by it."
• The investigation was described as a “very emotional time” for law enforcement community.

Statements attributed to district attorney James C. Gaither about cooperation terms

District Attorney James C. Gaither said: "First, in exchange for ending the search for Zahra Baker and ending the mystery that surrounded her death, the prosecution of Elisa Baker would be limited to second-degree murder so long as her statement to law enforcement was truthful," and: "Second, in the event that it was determined that Elisa Baker was not truthful, she could be prosecuted for first-degree murder, but her statements and evidence would be excluded," and: "In other words, Elisa Baker's statements would be admissible only in a prosecution of second-degree murder or less."

Statement attributed to Chief Tom Adkins about recovery of remains

Chief Adkins said: "It is with great regret that I stand before you today," "I've been dreading this moment since early on in this investigation. As investigators we are trained to follow leads, but never give up the hope the evidence may take us in the wrong direction and the outcome may be different ..." "Investigators, agents and officers who worked on this case are devastated that they could not find Zahra alive and bring her home safely...we have recovered enough physical evidence to believe we have found Zahra."

Other named individuals

Adam Baker was described as Zahra’s father and the husband of Elisa Baker. Mark Coffey was described as Adam’s boss and landlord. Maria Claxton was described as working with the South Carolina Search and Rescue Dog Association and being requested by the FBI and local police to bring a dog to the Baker residence. Capt. Thurman Whisnant was named in relation to a statement of probable cause. Lisa Dubs was named as Elisa Baker’s attorney. Scott Reilly was named as Baker’s court-appointed attorney. Amber Fairchild was described as Elisa’s daughter and testified at a bond hearing. Brittany Starbuck was described as Elisa’s daughter. Eric Gein was described as a crime memorabilia dealer and owner of Serial killers Ink, and was associated with assumed-name jail correspondence.