NC - Zahra Clare Baker, 10, Hickory, 9 Oct 2010 - #12

[Tikki]

correct me if I am wrong Abbie, but in a situation when a public health covered patient who was also a minor came in and it was noted that tehre were "special needs" such as hearing aid and prosthetic, wouldn't a social worker or advocate affiliated with the treating hospital be automatically assigned to visit the child (and Parents actually) in hospital and assess ongoing needs?

Maybe I am off, but when I was on Public aid health coverage during a pregnancy, I rememer a social worker stopping in to "check up" on my needs and had a mandatory home visit to check on me and my son.

Wonder if this could be a reason they came to the US? To get "under the radar"?

 

[Nana46]

I can't carry a hundred pounds up a hill! 50 max...

Good, lol:dance:

 

[Nana46]

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/oct/16/waiting-news-hard-grandmother-family-australia-ar-460842/

HICKORY --
The investigation into the disappearance of Zahra Clare Baker is taking its toll on her family in Australia.

Zahra’s grandmother, Karen Baker, who lives in Newcastle, New South Wales, said the media circus outside her home was pushing the family to the breaking point, according to the Townsville Bulletin, published near Giru, Queensland, the town where Zahra spent much of her life.

Is this not pitiful....this poor family in another country having to deal with not only her being missing but now all this....please let this angel come home. Somebody grow a set and 'fess up for Pete's sake:banghead:

 

[pudd]

My big main question is why did they report her missing at all? I mean they did everything they could to keep her under wraps. And the few friends and family that knew her - well they could have just said they sent her back to Australia either for a visit or to live with grammy. I don't think anyone would have questioned that and those pesky detectives wouldn't have been nosing around.

So why did they report her missing when they did?

Wasn't it because of the court date with BB? That it would all come out anyway so they might as well look proactive? (lol, that couple, proactive... )

 

[Soul125]

I think LE has done a great job so far given the limited info they have on when she went missing. AB work sites and close to them are the most logical to me with the type of work he does if he helped. I can't see him not being involved given the way that this whole thing played out at the beginning.

 

[darnudes]

noooo -- really? She was married 10 times, or had 10 alias's? I just saw bio dad on the tele for the first time, and while I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover - I will. He looks very creepy to me.

Poor Zahra - where are you?

MOO

Mel

To me he just looks like your typical average aussie guy (sorry girls they don't all look like Bondi Beach Adonis')...maybe a bit bogan. Would never have guessed he was/is a goth.

 

[AbbieNormal]

Yeah-that raising of the upper lip thing is so true! I saw all the Anthony's do it now that I look back!:snooty:

Misty Croslin

The interviews with Misty Croslin are a study in reading body language! Especially the one early on when she was sitting next to her toothless mom on the sofa, she never once raised her eyes and looked at the camera or the interviewer. They nshowed it over and over and over and I don;t see how anybody could have watched it and believed a ord she was saying. Dry mouth one minute, licking lips, etc she was really obvious. Casey Anthony in the audio of the interview with cops at Universal studio. No visuals for that and she still sounded guilty. And her police dept videos, all the nervous tucking and untucking, hair touching, etc.Hope the jury is shown that ad nauseum like we were. That alone screams guilty.

 

[darnudes]

I don't know where the prosthesis and hearing aides were supplied from, here or over there, but if she was here and in the hospital and had nothing but Medicaid for insurance, just about any (if not all) hospitals would note she needed a prosthesis and needed hearing aides and would have had social services department in the hospital find a way to get the child those things.
Supply them and wrap the cost up in the hospital bill if they are not covered by medicaid, hook the girl up with a charity that would provide them, they have many ways to get things like that. The larger hospitals provide them with relatively small hassle, the patient/ family might not even be made aware how the prosthesis and hearing aides were provided. Any place I have ever employed by would not even have allowed her to be discharged without these very necessary tools for living. And the admitting nurse would be the first point of contact and it is their job to pick up on things like that and make the referral to social work immediately. I used to do most of the admissions a couple of places I worked.
My mother was hard of hearing all her life. Its a family trait, her mother and her sister were both hard of hearing. In fact my grandmother was almost stone deaf when she died. She also was almost 100% blind. My mom has always been loud, and just for the last 3 years has finally started with the hearing aides. She paid a fortune for them, (her insurance did) and IIRC they were in the neighborhood of $7k for both of them. I almost dropped over when she told me, I remember telling her I could take a cruise for that amount of money. I was afraid she had gotten ripped off. She had them adjusted MANY times. The battery issue drives me crazy, and I don't even live with her. Always having to buy the batteries, need batteries, forgot to put the hearing aide in so shes out in public practically yelling and people are looking. Got so bad I printed out a little pic of an ear from the computer and put a big fat ? next to the ear pic and taped it to the door going out to the garage at eye level to remind her to put the dang thing IN.
I just love it :innocent: when we are out and she thinks she is saying something quietly to me, usually something completely inappropriate like "why do people like that have children?" and shes talking in normal conversational tone and yes everyone around us just heard what she said. :banghead:

OMG - I think I'm in love with your mother.

 

[Wise Old Owl]

Wasn't it because of the court date with BB? That it would all come out anyway so they might as well look proactive? (lol, that couple, proactive... )

Yea but they wouldn't have taken Zahra with them to court anyway - would they?

 

[pudd]

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/oct/16/waiting-news-hard-grandmother-family-australia-ar-460842/

HICKORY --
The investigation into the disappearance of Zahra Clare Baker is taking its toll on her family in Australia.

Zahra’s grandmother, Karen Baker, who lives in Newcastle, New South Wales, said the media circus outside her home was pushing the family to the breaking point, according to the Townsville Bulletin, published near Giru, Queensland, the town where Zahra spent much of her life.

It's sad, and I feel very sorry for her, but I've seen nothing in our Aussie msm about it except stuff that's come of the AAP newswire from the US. Other Aussies, have you seen anything? I expect New Idea etc will be on it as soon as they can, but.....

 

[Mrs G Norris]

^ no he does not look goth at all, def [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogan"]bogan[/ame]. He may have been influenced by EB to take on some of the characteristics / beliefs don't you think?

 

[Paulette]

My big main question is why did they report her missing at all? I mean they did everything they could to keep her under wraps. And the few friends and family that knew her - well they could have just said they sent her back to Australia either for a visit or to live with grammy. I don't think anyone would have questioned that and those pesky detectives wouldn't have been nosing around.

So why did they report her missing when they did?

Why did she/they burn the car & write the ransom note?

Was she/he high on drugs?

She seems very unstable. And poor. Maybe she thought she'd get sympathy from the public & they'd bring her casseroles of food & cry with her. Then she could hit the public up for some money, etc. She/they probably didn't think it through.

 

[AbbieNormal]

Good, lol:dance:

Yeah, really. I can barely haul in the grocery bags. LOL.

100 lbs no way, 50 pounds, I doubt it. But step mamma looks like she could heft right much. She also looks mean, JMO.

 

[darnudes]

But it would have stunk to high heaven! Pretty sure the landlord would have noticed it don't you?

I do - how long were they in that apt, do we know? Still possible but unlikely. What isn't unlikely is that AB could have been into the drugs just as much as she was and this is something that likely attracted them to each other and kept them together. We know how big the drug culture is here and in those country towns, especially Newcastle, it's HUGE.

 

[Soul125]

These are points I've been thinking about:

Witnesses say they seen EB and Zahra at a furniture store...
(Mattress, box spring and frame taken...)
LE checking many wood piles..
(Fathers place of work)
Randsom note
(Written by EB)
Fire
(Reported by EB)
My biggest question is:
Why put a ransom note requesting 1 million dollars and saying that your red headed pot smoking son is next on a gas saturated vehicle that is addressed to your boss who happens to own the property..?? and further states.."who's in control now..??

I think nobody will ever know the full reason behind the ransom note. My guess is EB has seen other people due this and figured why not, it's a good way to throw them off us. But this didn't work at all as we have seen. What I don't get is why admit to writing the note. That is almost like standing up and saying I did it, but I am not going to tell you anymore.

 

[pudd]

Yea but they wouldn't have taken Zahra with them to court anyway - would they?

Probably not, but if they were there arguing about threats that EB made to BB she (BB) could easily say to the court "and you should go and check on Zahra" at which point EB/AB would be in trouble. So they acted first to make it look like a kidnapping gone wrong?

 

[Tikki]

Why did she/they burn the car & write the ransom note?

Was she/he high on drugs?

She seems very unstable. And poor. Maybe she thought she'd get sympathy from the public & they'd bring her casseroles of food & cry with her. Then she could hit the public up for some money, etc. She/they probably didn't think it through.

None of this makes sense. Maybe it would to someone not-so-bright, in a druggie haze...??

 

[Moonlit]

I do - how long were they in that apt, do we know? Still possible but unlikely. What isn't unlikely is that AB could have been into the drugs just as much as she was and this is something that likely attracted them to each other and kept them together. We know how big the drug culture is here and in those country towns, especially Newcastle, it's HUGE.

They said on NG they lived there from July '09 to November '09.

 

[Paulette]

I was going to say you walk, your friends and family would know this, is that mine shaft off a hiking trail. Could have left yourself wide open there

I wanna go to heaven! Besides, there's no one I want to murder.

 

[froginTtown]

Our elderly neighbours are about to go and stay with their daughter-in-law for six months while their son is deployed in Afghanistan. They are worried as you can imagine. The Australian Army have been very secretive about departure dates, his role over there etc. Apparently that's the norm ... you get a 'call up' with limited details for secrecy reasons.

It's hard at first... My son came back for a visit after 6 months, he stayed for 2 weeks... This January, he's coming home for good.. (back in the U.S) at his base in N.C. But I get him for a month before he returns to his base...
and yes, they are very secretive.. I used to talk to my son every couple of days... but he had to help build a new site and they don't have communications yet...( very limited)