GUILTY FL - Shannon Dedrick, 7 mo., Chipley, 31 Oct 2009 #4

[Pooka]

How did SB think she would pull this off? Was she going to keep the baby locked up in the house forever and raise her without even her husband knowing? Or would Shannon have disappeared like Paul? Unbelievable. I'm so happy that baby Shannon is safe now.

 

[LCoastMom]

I recorded it and replayed it several times now, and there is NO mention of a search warrant. The sheriff said the LE was given consent to search the Baker's home. Not one mention of a search warrant being served, or even the words 'search warrant'. The sheriff did say the search began at 8pm though.

I can't replay it right now. didn't he kind of trip over his words when he first announced they entered with permission???

 

[TakeNote]

my hinky is going off still about SB....

i still wonder/think that SB kidnaped shannon.....i hope....they will make sure that the mom did or did not have anything to do with it.....if...the mother and SB arranged for Shannon to be given to SB.....why did mom go to the neighbors and ask if they seen anyone drive up to her house....why did she report the baby missing?.....why...when SB found out about the report of the baby missing didnt she say....hey...i have her...the mother wanted me to take care of her.....why did SB leave the baby under her bed in a closed box for 12hrs?......hinky...hinky....i dont think the mom new what was going on....i think she thought her baby was missing.....i think SB took advantage of her.....and even set her up with the email two months prior....

 

[Liz]

They did have a search warrant BUT it wasn't SERVED until Shannon was found.

I guess I missed that part. Was that stated in the Sheriff's press conference?

 

[Patty G]

I recorded it and replayed it several times now, and there is NO mention of a search warrant. The sheriff said the LE was given consent to search the Baker's home. Not one mention of a search warrant being served, or even the words 'search warrant'. The sheriff did say the search began at 8pm though.

Where you watching it on TV or over the Internet. During some of the questions asked to the Sheriff, I believe he mentioned once one of his deputies found Shannon, they then got a search warrant.

 

[milliac]

my hinky is going off still about sb....

I still wonder/think that sb kidnaped shannon.....i hope....they will make sure that the mom did or did not have anything to do with it.....if...the mother and sb arranged for shannon to be given to sb.....why did mom go to the neighbors and ask if they seen anyone drive up to her house....why did she report the baby missing?.....why...when sb found out about the report of the baby missing didnt she say....hey...i have her...the mother wanted me to take care of her.....why did sb leave the baby under her bed in a closed box for 12hrs?......hinky...hinky....i dont think the mom new what was going on....i think she thought her baby was missing.....i think sb took advantage of her.....and even set her up with the email two months prior....

bbm

exactley!

 

[LCoastMom]

I just noticed these awesome tags...


cleo called,

eastcoast is da wo/man!,

florida, found alive!,

miracle, missing baby,

shannon dedrick, shannon lea dedrick,

susan baker, tina mercer

 

[ckwood32]

I just adore this picture. Credit to 3dogmom from her photobucket.
I hope little Shannon gets the opportunity to be raised in a healthy, happy home....I don't know what will happen with custody and parental rights, etc.,.....I just want her to THRIVE and get a fair shot at a great childhood!!

I hope to see this photo alongside a "reunion" photo someday years from now between the Sheriff and Shannon. In my mind's eye, I see the Sheriff gazing tenderly at an older Shannon who looks positively radiant and happy.



http://s733.photobucket.com/albums/ww338/3dogmom/Shannon/?action=view&current=Picture11-1.png

OMG Those photos just bring tears to my eyes. Especially where little Shannon is looking the Sheriff. Precious. so glad this baby is alive!!

 

[elepher50]

You know, what if they knew SB's history prior to Cleo's call and then decided that since the info had leaked, they needed to make the swoop???

I just can't get over the fact that they knew her history and did nothing for five days while that baby was living under a bed in a box. I really want to know what made them wait that long!!!

Kimster, It is my humble opinion that LE did not know the connection between SB and the South Carolina incident until both the Florida LE and the South Carolina LE were called by WS members Cleo and EastCoast. If they knew the connection from the get go, then they were not acting responsibly by not searching SB's property before last night. Also, they would NOT have had to spend all day yesterday getting the search warrant ready - it would have been ready way before - ready to execute.

We are not dumb azzes to think that LE knew from the first night about SB and did nothing about it - makes no sense whatsoever - nada - none.

Anyway, rant is over - Shannon bless her little heart is safe. Okay, back to rant, LE probably looked at WS to get the address of OHRoad for the Bakers as well.

Shannon you are one loved and precious little girl - may the rest of your life be truly joyious in a loving and protective environment.

Elepher

 

[SH79]

If their searching was solely because SB gave them permission then that speaks to her state of mind. She must have REALLY thought she could get away with this by hiding shannon in a box. This is JMO but that also says to me she was pretty confident that shannon wasn't going to cry...possibly because she drugged her? I ASSUME the reason she was trying to cover up the smell of the diaper was to hide it from the dogs? This is just so twisted.

So much for me getting any work done today!

 

[KDB]

Kimster, It is my humble opinion that LE did not know the connection between SB and the South Carolina incident until both the Florida LE and the South Carolina LE were called by WS members Cleo and EastCoast. If they knew the connection from the get go, then they were not acting responsibly by not searching SB's property before last night. Also, they would NOT have had to spend all day yesterday getting the search warrant ready - it would have been ready way before - ready to execute.

We are not dumb azzes to think that LE knew from the first night about SB and did nothing about it - makes no sense whatsoever - nada - none.

Anyway, rant is over - Shannon bless her little heart is safe. Okay, back to rant, LE probably looked at WS to get the address of OHRoad for the Bakers as well.

Shannon you are one loved and precious little girl - may the rest of your life be truly joyious in a loving and protective environment.

Elepher

I do not want to negate the good work done here but I agree with Kimster. It's possible that the sheriff had the Bakers under surveillance with the hopes that they would be led to little Shannon, thinking she was somewhere else. JMO.

 

[ElizaAvalon]

It's a shame that credit can't be given where credit is due! I highly doubt Shannon would have been found last night had it not been for EastCoast.

They had SB in their radar on Day One. If that's the case, why didn't they search on Day One?

He pissed me off when he said bloggers hindered the investigation because we all know that is absolutely OPPOSITE of what happened.

Pffft...

 

[ckwood32]

OK if LE knew about SB from day one - they would not have had a problem getting a search warrant ASAPPPPPPPPPP. or for that matter - if SB gave them PERMISSION to search - why in the HE!! didn 't they ask to search 5 DAYS AGO. This baby could have DIED! Statistically she shouldn't be with us. This does not make any sense AT ALL. "Oh - well - since the media has the info about SB I guess we better get over there and ask her if we can search her property". Yeah right.

 

[miss lisa]

I guess I missed that part. Was that stated in the Sheriff's press conference?

Yes it was. They entered the Baker home with permisson from the Bakers. Ask if they could look around. Permission was granted. Once Shannon was found they executed the search warrant that they already had obtained at 8:00pm

 

[ckwood32]

I do not want to negate the good work done here but I agree with Kimster. It's possible that the sheriff had the Bakers under surveillance with the hopes that they would be led to little Shannon, thinking she was somewhere else. JMO.

You mean - they thought it was too late anyway - that little Shannon was probably dead - and they were waiting for SB to go to take them to the body? I don't care - they shouldn't have waited. They should have turned that place upside down.

 

[Lipin One]

You are correct - it was baking soda. Had it been bacon, the search doggies would have honed in on that pretty quick

:beagle::beagle:

One thing about the interfering with custody charges... in the DCF report SB claimed that T was pregnant already when she got together with her hubby, so the baby does not belong to JD.

As of... "Baker also claimed Dedrick was not the child's father and said he claimed paternity to get welfare benefits."

Assuming that was true...

Does these IWC charges stem from JD not "knowing" of the arrangement, or the biological father not knowing?

They are the "ladies" third degree felonies.

 

[believe09]

I do not know the case like the rest of you, but I think that Shannon was not coming out of that box alive. I think the pressure was too much. JMO.

 

[Liz]

I can't replay it right now. didn't he kind of trip over his words when he first announced they entered with permission???

Quoting the Sheriff (Bobby Haddock) from my video-recording:

"During the investigation, Susan, who is Shannon's aunt, Susan Baker,
who is Shannon's aunt and James Dedrick's half step-sister, became a person of interest. Susan and James Baker were reinterviewed yesterday and they provided law enforcement with a consent to search their home. The search of the Baker's residence began at 8 pm, which included a canine search and rescue team. At approx 9:55pm, Shannon Dedrick was found in a 2'x3' cedar chest underneath a bed. Understand under the bed was the box shoved in the back and a lot of material in front of it to deceive anyone who was looking. This box had a lid on it and also had a hasp on it. She was in a box ...excuse me (sheriff gets choked up for a couple seconds) she was in the box for almost 12 hours. In a closed box. Shannon was immediately taken to the Northwest FL Comm Hospital here in Chipley, where she was examined by the local doctor. Shannon is currently located at the hospital and we understand she is in good condition.

The investigation was revealed that Shannon's mother Chrystina Lynn Mercer and Susan Elizabeth Baker met Friday, October the 30th. Susan Baker asked Chrystina if she would permanently take custody ... or could she permanently take custody of Shannon. Chrystina agreed to meet with Susan on Oct the 31st at approx 1:30am at Chrystina's home on Brown Street. Susan Baker took custody of Shannon from her mother sometime in the hours of October the 31st.

Chrystina Mercer is charged with Interference of Child Custody, a 3rd degree felony; Desertion of a Child, a 3rd degree felony; False Report Regarding a Missing Child, 1st degree misdemeanor; False Report of a Crime, 1st degree misdemeanor; Contributing to the Delinquency of a Child, 1st degree misdemeanor.

Susan Baker was charged with Neglect of a Child with Aggravated Circumstances, a 3rd degree felony. 'Scuse me, 2nd degree felony.
Interference of a Child Custody, a 3rd degree felony; False Report Regarding a Missing Child, 1st degree misdemeanor; False Report of a Crime, 1st degree misdemeanor; Contributing to the Delinquency of a Child, 1st degree misdemeanor.

We could not have accomplished this without the men and women and more that's not even present, that's standing behind me today"

End of my recording of this morning's press conference. I've replayed it, backed up, and replayed it again, and it is verbatim of what the Sheriff stated, to the best of my ability. Hope this helps!

 

[Patty G]

You know, what if they knew SB's history prior to Cleo's call and then decided that since the info had leaked, they needed to make the swoop???

I just can't get over the fact that they knew her history and did nothing for five days while that baby was living under a bed in a box. I really want to know what made them wait that long!!!

We don't know that Shannon was in a box under the bed for all the days Shannon was missing. We only know that Shannon was in the box from around 8:00 AM until she was found nearly 12 hours later.

LE had a POI at the very beginning once LE ran background checks on all the individuals associated to Shannon. LE did the extensive search all around looking for Shannon as they did interviews to try and pull out what they needed.

IMO, LE had to be really, really careful in this investigation especially since they knew about the background of Susan. I feel they didn't want Susan to take off with Shannon or harm her in any way. Although, they didn't know one way or another whether Shannon was alright at this point or not.

But then, we don't know if someone followed Susan to the store to get diapers, milk, baby food. We just don't know this information yet.

We do know what was posted on Susan's MS page indicating: Sue is at home w/nieces. I have had her all week. And it has been a great week. This to me, was a very good clue of where Shannon just might be.

So much in this investigation had to go by the book otherwise this whole case would go south.

 

[gitana1]

orb4me, I feel and understand your frustration. I really do.

But, even if the sheriff knew certain things right away or almost right way (which I'm not sure how we'll be able to prove or disprove) - he does need due cause to get search warrants. Unless he is given outright permission, which I 'think' the sheriff's office were given in Susan's case, to search her home.

I agree with you. LE cannot storm a house based on a suspicious background of the babysitter. They were doing a thorough investigation and were likely monitoring SB to see where she went, questioning her carefully to see what she may say, etc. They had no idea whether the baby had been taken away from the area, was dead, or what happened to the child. They did not have enough info to get a search warrant for SB's house and did not want to scare her off or have her thinking they were on to her, prompting her possibly to move the child, so they tread carefully. If they had stormed the house without a warrant, SB could get charges dismissed on a technicality. They had to lure her in to a sense of security, which they did and thus got her permission to search the house. They had their suspicions, but that is not enough. No way am I going to bash LE. We have no idea of the hard work they did, the hoops they had to go through and the sleepless nights. They did a great job. They found this baby alive and the charges are going to stick!
Final note and please do not get angry with me for saying this!: Media pressure did cause them to act faster in questioning SB that last time but that could have backfired on us. SB could have been spooked and killed the kid to keep out of jail and prevent being found out. I trust that LE knows what they are doing and how to do it for the most part. I am so proud of WS'sers who reported this to LE. However, in the future, I think that is the only agency such info should be reported to. Reporting to the media something LE may be trying to keep underwraps could undermine their investigation.

One last thought before I have to get back to work...Why do you think SB said things like "I loved that child" when she knew the child was alive?

I think it is clear from her statements and TAB's that she was trying to make it seem that the mother killed her kid so they would stop looking and she could keep the baby. I feel this was premeditated by SB.

my hinky is going off still about SB....

i still wonder/think that SB kidnaped shannon.....i hope....they will make sure that the mom did or did not have anything to do with it.....if...the mother and SB arranged for Shannon to be given to SB.....why did mom go to the neighbors and ask if they seen anyone drive up to her house....why did she report the baby missing?.....why...when SB found out about the report of the baby missing didnt she say....hey...i have her...the mother wanted me to take care of her.....why did SB leave the baby under her bed in a closed box for 12hrs?......hinky...hinky....i dont think the mom new what was going on....i think she thought her baby was missing.....i think SB took advantage of her.....and even set her up with the email two months prior....

I agree. I think SB took advanatage of an intellectually challenged woman who was having a hard time raising a child. I think SB set this in motion a long time ago with calls to CPS, a letter to the gov she could later release to the media and probably lots of pressure on the mother. She is very scary and twisted. I hope there are no deals and she goes to jail for a long time. Anyone know the possible prison sentence she could get? I hope they add more charges. Leaving a baby in a closed box for 12 hours seems like more than mere neglect.