Elisa Baker
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Elisa Annette Baker (nee Fairchild, born 1968), is an American woman who brutally murdered her 10-year old stepdaughter, Zahra Baker, in September 2010 after subjecting her to months of child abuse.
Background edit
Zahra Baker edit
Zahra Baker was born to Emily Dietrich and Adam Baker who both lived in Wagga Wagga, Australia. Emily Dietrich, who had postpartum depression after Zahra's birth, gave up custody to Adam. Adam took Zahra and moved with his parents to Giru, Queensland in 2004 to work for a sugar mill. Zahra, who was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2005, later suffered a bout of lung cancer as well. As a result, she had the lower part of one leg amputated and had to wear hearing aids.
Adam Baker reportedly met Elisa Fairchild (originally from western North Carolina) online on an IMVU gothic website. Elisa Fairchild visited Adam Baker in Queensland and they were soon married. Elisa was previously married 6 times and was still married at the time she married Adam Baker. Zahra's cancer went into remission in 2008, shortly before she moved to the United States from Australia with her father and new stepmother.
After moving to North Carolina, the Bakers settled in Hickory where Zahra attended public school until she started being home schooled. It is not known, though, if she was ever home schooled at all. It is suspected Zahra was taken out of public school because reports of child abuse were made to the school, implicating Elisa. Many neighbors of Zahra's claimed that Elisa was physically and mentally abusive and neglecting the child. Two teachers visited Zahra's home, after Zahra went to school with a black eye in a public school in Hudson while she was in the fourth grade.
Child Protective Services from both Caldwell County and Catawba County visited the various residences of Zahra multiple times before Zahra died. The Bakers had moved a few times in both those counties before settling in Hickory. Reports of Elisa's abusive behavior have been investigated by the Department of Social Services in regards to Elisa's own biological children dating as far back from 1999. Elisa has 3 children from 2 different relationships: a daughter born out of wedlock and a son and a daughter from a previous marriage.
911 call edit
A 911 call was made by Elisa on October 9, 2010 at 5:30 am, reporting a fire in the back of the family residence in Hickory. When the 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 is reported missing on 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 the night before, addressed to Adam's boss and landlord, Mark Coffey. Adam explained that they called 911 earlier that day about the fire and implied that whoever started the fire, may have done so in order to distract the alleged kidnapper, in order to take Zahra. Adam explained the purported kidnapper mistakenly confused Zahra for Mr. Coffey's daughter. Mark Coffey's daughter was unharmed and with her family, Adam stated. Adam said the last time he saw his daughter was at 2:30 am. Apparently, Adam Baker left for work early in the morning and did not return until after Zahra went to sleep.
Investigation edit
Reportedly, Elisa failed a polygraph test she had taken early in the investigation. She was asked: if she had hurt Zahra, if she knew of anyone who had harmed Zahra and if she knew who wrote the ransom note.
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 also arrested for various crimes which included communicating threats, writing bad checks, larceny and driving with a revoked license, crimes unrelated to the death of Zahra. Baker, who was jailed, was next charged with obstruction of justice after admitting that she wrote the ransom note, which led the police astray.
Elisa Baker's aunt Buzzie Winkler told reporters that Elisa told her Zahra died after being sick for 2 weeks, and both parents dismembered her and hid the remains. Elisa's aunt said: "She'd been sick two weeks before she died, when they found her, I guess they didn't know what to do. They just went wild." However, Elisa reportedly said Adam dismembered Zahra Baker alone, after she died, and they both hid her remains. Elisa also told police that Zahra died on September 24, yet she was not reported missing until October 9.
Allegedly Eric Gein, crime memorabilia dealer and owner of Serial killers Ink, used an assumed name to write to Elisa in jail. She wrote him back twice, sharing some information. According to a letter written to Eric Gein, Elisa admitted: "We really didn't kill her, but what he did after the fact is kinda horrifying." "(It) makes me scared of him."
Reportedly, Elisa's attorney Lisa Dubs told police where they could find possible evidence relating to Zahra's death. Apparently, Elisa told her attorney that Zahra's prosthetic leg was left in a dumpster that she and Adam had disposed of at Fox Ridge Apartments in Hickory. A prosthetic leg was found in late October off a road in Caldwell County a few miles from a former residence of Elisa's. The Hickory police department were able to match the serial # of the prosthetic leg from Zahra's medical records they obtained from Australia, in order to confirm that it was definitely Zahra's leg.
In November 2010, Elisa Baker started leading police to different areas in Catawba County and Caldwell County to find Zahra's scattered remains. Numerous bones of Zahra was found but Zahra's head was not found. Allegedly, Elisa had told police she threw Zahra's mattress in a dumpster, and police confirmed the mattress fitting the description was found in a landfill.
Elisa Baker also led the 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. Elisa also told police they can find Zahra's body parts in the drain trap of the bathtub and that plastic gloves that she used could be found in her bathroom.
A review of Elisa Baker's now defunct MySpace page revealed she called herself "GothicFairy6668". Her page portrayed skulls and bones as a song titled "Living Dead Girl" by Rob Zombie was played. She listed "Never, neverland" as her hometown, Queensland, Australia as her state and country and wrote that she was a college graduate and a proud parent. The page had photos of Zahra on it and in one photo, Zahra was wearing all black and the title read "The Dark Child!!!lol". Her "mood" on the page was listed as "crazy" on the last day she signed in, October, 8th, 2010, one day before Zahra was reported missing.
Reportedly, Elisa was married seven times and at certain points she was married to 2 or 3 men at the same time, since she never divorced before marrying again. Before marrying Adam Baker, Elisa had previously married 3 men within 3 years. In January 2011 it was reported that Elisa Baker was charged with bigamy after it was confirmed that Elisa Baker was still married to Aaron Young when she wed Adam Baker. Elisa had introduced Aaron Young to Adam, claiming he was her brother, not an ex-husband.
Supposedly, Elisa was in contact often with her previous husband, Aaron Young, and they both were on an IMVU.com website on September 22, two days before the day of which Elisa claimed Zahra died. The IMVU website involved "chainsaw massacre role-playing". The police investigated a woman's claim, who used the same social networking site as the Bakers. The woman said she had blogged about a conversation she had with one or both of the Bakers about "doing a murder with chainsaws".
Accusations against two men related to Elisa Baker's previous husband, Aaron Young, alleged that Zahra was raped and may have been hit on the head, causing her death. The two cousins, James Young and Timothy "Sammy" Young were both investigated by the police for the allegations. Both men passed polygraph tests and were not charged. Sammy Young was allegedly known to have had a sexual relationship with Elisa and the two of them did illegal drugs together.
Aftermath edit
Since no cause of death could be determined, Zahra's death was ruled an "undetermined violent homicide". Allegedly, Elisa told the police that both she and Adam Baker disposed of Zahra's remains, but according to cell phone towers, Elisa was in the area where Zahra's remains were found but Adam was not. Investigators believe that Elisa Baker killed and dismembered Zahra on Sept, 24th, 2010 and disposed of her remains the following day. Elisa Baker was indicted by a grand jury, for second degree murder with aggravating circumstances, on February 22, 2011 in Catawba County. The 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 would have a first degree murder charge if she had not led law enforcement to Zahra's remains. Adam has denied any involvement in Zahra's death and the police have not found any credible evidence to suggest that he had any involvement in her death or to charge him with murder. Elisa's bond was increased by $200,000 because of the murder charge, making the total bond $307,700.
She was sentenced to 18 years in prison. In 2013, she was given an additional 10 years for drug-related charges. While Baker told investigators that Zahra's father Adam Baker was involved in the crime, he was not charged, and the District Attorney has said that the state had no evidence linking anyone but Elisa Baker to the murder.