Why is Adam Baker not in jail?

[Flakes]

no too late.

Please can I request that the following sentence from my earlier post regarding theories for why Zahra was taken out of school for home schooling by EB:

Over months WS posters have proposed selfish, manipulative or neglectful explanations, so I've contemplated a different perspective to give us a fuller spectrum of options. I think it's best to consider as many angles as possible in an attempt to be thorough. Each suggestion has as much validity as next in the scheme of things.

be understood to read:

Over months WS posters have proposed explanations that AB and EB had selfish, manipulative or neglectful motivations, so I've contemplated a different perspective to give us a fuller spectrum of options...

oh dear

 

[Flakes]

<modsnip>

... and as I stated valuable and informed (I'm now starting to worry that the comment having a "good handle" can be misunderstood too). But in my efforts to be succinct, I fail abysmally. It's nearly 1am and I'm sitting here nursing my sick child, and trying to make some sense of the tragic twists and turns in Zahra's life. Wish I could go to bed.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

no too late.

Please can I request that the following sentence from my earlier post regarding theories for why Zahra was taken out of school for home schooling by EB:
be understood to read:


oh dear

If you go to your original post and click on the alert button (the exclamation symbol), you can click on that and ask a mod to edit the post for you. Or you can private message Duck and I'm sure she'll take care of that for you.

And thank you for clarifying what you intended to say.

 

[NoeticSoul]

... and as I stated valuable and informed (I'm now starting to worry that the comment having a "good handle" can be misunderstood too). But in my efforts to be succinct, I fail abysmally. It's nearly 1am and I'm sitting here nursing my sick child, and trying to make some sense of the tragic twists and turns in Zahra's life. Wish I could go to bed.

Awww I hope your little one feels better soon and that you get some much needed rest!

I remember when... it's so difficult when your wee one is sick..

 

[Flakes]

If you go to your original post and click on the alert button (the exclamation symbol), you can click on that and ask a mod to edit the post for you. Or you can private message Duck and I'm sure she'll take care of that for you.

And thank you for clarifying what you intended to say.

Thanks for the advice. I have reported my post for rudeness Hopefully WhyaDuck? will have the opportunity (I pray) to make the change soon so that no-one else thinks I'm being offensive when I'm really trying to be polite but screwing up totally.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

DNPE Homeschool Requirements for the state of North Carolina:

Requirements

Parents/guardians residing in North Carolina and desiring, in lieu of conventional school attendance, to home school their children who are at least age 7 but not yet age 16 must:

- Hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent;
- Send to DNPE a Notice of Intent to Operate a Home School. The notice must include the name and address of the school along with the name of the school's owner and chief administrator;
- Elect to operate under either Part 1 or Part 2 of Article 39 of the North Carolina General Statutes as a religious or as a non-religious school;
- Operate the school "on a regular schedule, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations, during at least nine calendar months of the year'';
- Maintain at the school disease immunization and annual attendance records for each student;
- Have a nationally standardized achievement test administered annually to each student. The test must involve the subject areas of English grammar, reading, spelling, and mathematics. Records of the test results must be retained at the home school for at least one year and made available to DNPE when requested. Also, see testing FAQS;
- Notify DNPE when the school is no longer in operation.

More at this link:
http://www.ncdnpe.org/hhh103.aspx

 

[WhyaDuck?]

I seem to recall there was a homeschooling thread... Anyone else remember?

If not, it might be a good topic for a thread.

 

[Donjeta]

IMO even if the decision to homeschool was made for completely compelling reasons it gives no one no free pass here. Homeschooling means that the parents have to take a lot of extra responsibility for their children's education and check into their progress regularly. You ain't doing that if you don't manage to notice that your children have been dead for two weeks because you've seen a lump in their bed every once in a while.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

I seem to recall there was a homeschooling thread... Anyone else remember?

If not, it might be a good topic for a thread.

I can't recall if there was a thread for the homeschooling topic or not, Duck. I'll take a look, though.

I do think it's a fair topic for us to touch on under this discussion header, provided we are relating the homeschooling issue to the subject of whether or not AB knew about Zahra's abuse.

JMO

ETA: Or maybe it would fit better under a discussion about whether or not AB was quilty of child neglect. I don't know.

 

[WhyaDuck?]

I can't recall if there was a thread for the homeschooling topic or not, Duck. I'll take a look, though.

I do think it's a fair topic for us to touch on under this discussion header, provided we are relating the homeschooling issue to the subject of whether or not AB knew about Zahra's abuse.

JMO

ETA: Or maybe it would fit better under a discussion about whether or not AB was quilty of child neglect. I don't know.

I searched and couldn't find one, so feel free to open one, as I do think it can contribute to knowledge about the environment of the house - if not intent, IMHO.

Please everybody be careful with the subject, though. As someone who hopes to homeschool, myself, and is not a nut or an abuser, I want people to remember that homeschooling should not be aimed at with blanket condemnation.

But, yes, I do think it's a good topic for a thread. If we find another, I can merge it, but I can't find one ATM.

 

[NoeticSoul]

I searched and couldn't find one, so feel free to open one, as I do think it can contribute to knowledge about the environment of the house - if not intent, IMHO.

Please everybody be careful with the subject, though. As someone who hopes to homeschool, myself, and is not a nut or an abuser, I want people to remember that homeschooling should not be aimed at with blanket condemnation.

But, yes, I do think it's a good topic for a thread. If we find another, I can merge it, but I can't find one ATM.

bbm

ITA as a mom who's home-schooled 3.. 2 in college now! So It can be a great and liberating educational experience for children!

 

[Mountain_Kat]

I've never started a thread before, and I suspect today might not be the best day for me to try to figure that out.

TL? Noetic? Either of you guys want to take a stab at it?

 

[NoeticSoul]

I've never started a thread before, and I suspect today might not be the best day for me to try to figure that out.

TL? Noetic? Either of you guys want to take a stab at it?

I have once.. but I am unsure what to title it or what to begin the discussion with =)

:newhere: too, lol


ETA: OK I created one and if it's titled wrong.. HELP! Ducky =)

 

[Mountain_Kat]

http://law.findlaw.com/state-laws/child-abuse/north-carolina/

<snipped and bbm>

What Constitutes Abuse:

Inflicts or allows to be inflicted or creates a substantial risk of injury other than by accidental means or commits, permits, or encourages any type of sexual abuse or creates or allows serious emotional damage to juvenile or does not provide proper care or necessary medical care or abandons child uses inappropriate devices or procedures to modify behavior or encourages, directs, or approves of delinquent acts involving moral turpitude.

Given that Adam Baker was Zahra's legal, custodial parent, that by his own admission he knew Elisa Baker to be violent and abusive by nature, that by his own admission he saw physical evidence of abuse, that there is evidence that he was aware of at least some of the child abuse reports investigated by DSS/CCSS, that he disregarded NC regarding his daughters education, and that he did not fullfil his legal obligations to ensure that his child recieved basic medical care...I'd say he not only knew about the abuse of this child, but was an active participant in her abuse and neglect. Not only from a moral point of view, but from a LEGAL point of view.

MOO

 

[Hickory Born]

If I have this is in incorrect thread, will mods please move it.

Did AB have a religious upbringing? Did he belong to a church in Giru? I would think with all the Italians in the area, there would be Catholic churches.

The reason for my question: I was wondering if AB might have buried Zahra's head in a local cemetery.

 

[Flakes]

...Did AB have a religious upbringing? Did he belong to a church in Giru? I would think with all the Italians in the area, there would be Catholic churches.

The reason for my question: I was wondering if AB might have buried Zahra's head in a local cemetery.

I can't answer the question, but I think you'll need to explain that last bit to me.

 

[Hickory Born]

I can't answer the question, but I think you'll need to explain that last bit to me.

Well, I will try to explain. Some religious (Christian) rituals in the past have buried their dead in cemetaries and I thought IF Adam had a religious upbringing he might have shown a little reverence, respect, morality, grief, repentance.

In small communties in the NC mountains, many small churches have their own cemetaries on the grounds of their santuaries (unlike Hickory where they have large cemetaries)...These small cemetaries would allow easy access and he wouldn't have been noticed.

I am probably wrong and need to go back to my thinking that possibly Zahra's head is in Gunpowder Creek or Lake Hickory.

 

[Flakes]

Ah, I see where you are going. I know that traditionally Catholics believed in burying the head facing east, something to do with the Resurrection (Second Coming).

See this for info: http://www.fisheaters.com/funerals.html

 

[Hickory Born]

Ah, I see where you are going. I know that traditionally Catholics believed in burying the head facing east, something to do with the Resurrection (Second Coming).

See this for info: http://www.fisheaters.com/funerals.html

Mods please don't scold me, I know I am off on a tanget, but think the subject is worth pursuing.

Is there anyone on here that knew Adam when he was a boy and if he had a religious upbringing, and if so, what faith? Maybe ED could shed some light on this. I have googled and can only find one church in Giru, St. Joseph's Parrish, which is Catholic.

Flakes in the article you posted regarding the Catholic burials, (thank you) I thought it interesting that Catholics do not like cremation, but when someone is cremated their ashes have to be interred in a cemetary...."the remains must still be interred at a cemetery; they can't be kept at one's home or be scattered."

I have also googled.... Anglican and Catholics are the 2 top percentages in religious denominations in Australia.

Could the reason EB did not tell where Zahra's head was located is that AB interred it in a cemetary? I welcome any ideas.

Was AB born and reared in Newcastle, Wagga Wagga or where?

 

[Donjeta]

SOME may say she is simply being a protective mother and grandmother, but Karen Baker - a tiny but feisty 54-year-old - is adamant about one thing: her son would not, and did not, hurt or kill his daughter.

"Adam would never hurt Zahra ... he loved her more than life itself," she said from her Newcastle home this week.

Karen said Adam and Zahra's relationship was special.

"He loved that little girl more than anything, and devoted his life to her, and she thought he was the simply the best Dad in the world," she said.

"Adam is absolutely gutted - he has lost the light of his life in the most horrific way, and now has to deal with terrible hostility and vile name-calling in the very community he called home.

Adam has always denied any knowledge or involvement of his daughter's disappearance or death, despite people asking how he could not know his daughter had been missing for two weeks before she was actually reported missing. But Adam said he was working long hours, often leaving early in the morning before Zahra awoke, and arriving home after she had gone to bed.

Pardon me but I have a hard time believing any of this.

I just don't see any way that someone wouldn't notice that he hasn''t seen a hair of the dismembered light of his life for two weeks. If she was so special to him he'd have made some time to say hi. Phoned her, gone to see her sleeping, come home for lunch break, something.

He LIED about when he saw her last.

Adam said the only way he could describe how he felt in the months since Zahra's death, was "very, very empty".

"Zahra was my shadow, my right hand. She was always with me, no matter where I went or what I was doing," he said.

If she was always with him, how come he didn't notice she was dead for two weeks???

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/07/16/248801_news.html