NC - Zahra Clare Baker, 10, Hickory, 9 Oct. 2010 #24

[sarx]

Pull up from 3 to 6... there are 8 arrivals

Yep, I see those, but outside of 2 that arrive at just before 6, the rest are not passenger planes.

 

[Sherbie]

One more thing before I scoot for the night. I noticed we still have some guests reading along with us even at this hour. Please consider registering so you can hop in the conversation with us. As you can see, nobody is a stranger here after their first post. The more the merrier! :seeya:

 

[Elphaba]

Now I'm confuzzled...

 

[sarx]

So, what do we know that happened on Monday 10/25/10?

AB was arrested at 3:12 am (http://www.hickorypd.net/Summary.aspx)

The arrest took place at the police station (via Hickory PD web again)

AB is being held on multiple counts of bad check writing (which have a total bond of 7K as well as Assault with a deadly weapon (which currently has no bail set to it) and making threats (which also has no bail set to it). (http://injail.catawbacountync.gov/WhosInJail/)

Search(es) took place near Dudley Shoals and Burns Road (confirmed by PC with LE on sight)

What else is verifiable by either police records or a police press conference (not just "a spokesman said", but actual LE on camera)?

Maybe we can cut and paste what I have started and then add to it so we have a running list for reference?

Trying to weed through all the muck, and there was a lot of it today!

 

[sarx]

Now I'm confuzzled...

Uh oh, sorry. My fault?

 

[mistressammie]

Just wanted to toss something out...I apologize in advance if someone has mentioned this. I have yet to catch up with this beautiful little girl's case. In fact, I tried to stay away from it because I always find myself getting too attached and heartbroken.

Anyway - looking at the last picture (with bandanna) she looks very sick. If she wasn't being schooled the way she should have been, it stands to reason that she may not have been receiving treatment the way she should have been. If (and I don't know) the parents were receiving some form of benefits for Zahra, and she progressively got sicker and passed away...do you think there's a chance the parents wanted to cover it up so as not to lose the benefits?

Perhaps some sort of disability/SSI/whatever it's called. (lol)

The thought is horrible, but it's something that crossed my mind as I was reading a few of the pages here. Poor baby - what a beautiful smile she has in spite of such a difficult life!!!

 

[kirsty]

hi, I havnt posted on this forum about Zahra before, but I have been lurking.

havent heard about this case in New Zealand, hope they find her soon

 

[Laddsy]

Hey guys does anyone know where I can get a video explaining the case? I have been following this since day 1 but my wife has no idea lol

 

[reasypeasy]

I'm glad they've got him in custody for something. All along I've sort of been waiting for him to attempt to flee back to Australia because Australia rarely extradites for death penalty offences unless the country requesting extradition has given an assurance that the death penalty will not be applied.

 

[lauriej]

Hey guys does anyone know where I can get a video explaining the case? I have been following this since day 1 but my wife has no idea lol

...i don't know that there is a video.....but WS member "cranky" / amanda has a fantasic collection of video, pics, articles from day one.....

http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm166/crankycrankerson/Zahra Baker -NC-/?start=0

 

[BritsKate]

Sigh. I was really hoping I'd wake up to her being found. I pray today will be that day.

Still catching up on the threads but I just wanted to throw this out there:
I don't necessarily believe that AB's family suggested the consulate though that could certainly be the case. According to the Vienna Convention on Consular Rights though it is the responsibility of the arresting authorities to inform a detainee of their right to have the embassy/consulate of their home country notified. Granted, it doesn't always occur but it is on LE to offer.

I'm still waiting to hear about immigration status because I think so much rests there...it's just my opinion but I think we'll find out he and Zahra were never issued a visa, entered the States through the VWP, and initially sought to obtain residency visas - for me that explains the need for passport style photos obviously taken after their arrival in the States.

What honestly frustrates me is that there are so many checks and balances put into place to protect children and every one failed this little sprite. From passport issuance to immigration control to DSS it just seems she fell through each and every crack.

I know its been discussed but I still think it unlikely EB was actually receiving food stamps or any other financial assistance because its my belief Zahra and AB were there illegally. You don't need an SSN to enroll in school but according to NC you do need to submit them when you apply for government assistance. Zahra and AB wouldn't have been able to be issued an SSN. I don't know what the guidelines are in the States but I know in the UK you cannot claim any form of assistance while you are subject to immigration control (unless you're a member of the EU). FWIW.

 

[Fyrecat]

[[Law enforcement searched a heavily wooded area near a waterfalls, but the search seemed to center more toward the stream at the foot of the falls and closer toward the road. The brush is dense in that part of the area, and the stream is about 15 feet across and contains large rocks. During parts of the search, some members of law enforcement could be seen peering over the side of the bridge from the road, inspecting the work searchers were doing below}}

I would wonder, LE took mom out in the SUV. Did she say that perhaps this was a place Zahra liked to go? Did she finger dad, and say something about him putting her there? I wonder what this was about? It seems likely that something was going on. I wonder what it was.

 

[NancyA]

I know its been discussed but I still think it unlikely EB was actually receiving food stamps or any other financial assistance because its my belief Zahra and AB were there illegally. You don't need an SSN to enroll in school but according to NC you do need to submit them when you apply for government assistance. Zahra and AB wouldn't have been able to be issued an SSN. I don't know what the guidelines are in the States but I know in the UK you cannot claim any form of assistance while you are subject to immigration control (unless you're a member of the EU). FWIW.

Respectfully snipped. I have said all along there is very little to convince me that they ever applied for Green Cards. It's a long, expensive and complicated process and, frankly, I just do not see either of them - EB and AB - doing it. Just reading the instructions that go along with the application forms would have put them off, if the fees and requirements for paperwork in evidentiary support of the petitions didn't.

Let's say, though, that they had applied for Green Cards, they would have been issued social security numbers very early during the application process and possibly a temporary work permit for AB within a few months. They would not, however, have been eligible for any social security benefits or medicare/medicaid. As their 'sponsor', EB would have to sign an Affidavit of Support - link to the USCIS form she would have to submit:

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864.pdf

This would involve her agreeing to support them and cover medical costs so they would not become burdens on the state. I originally thought it was only for 7 years (it's been a while since my husband signed one for me ) but I just reread the terms and conditions and apparently the AoS stays in effect until such time as the sponsor dies, or the GC holder has completed 40 units of work in the US (each unit is a quarter so 10 years continuous work) or the GC holder becomes a US citizen - you have to have been a GC holder by marriage for 3 years to apply for citizenship. Even if they got divorced it would still apply. EB would have had to have supplied proof during the GC application process that her income was 125% of the federal poverty guideline for her household to be eligible as a sponsor otherwise she would need to find someone willing to be a co-sponsor for them.

ETA: Oh yeah just want to add, in support of my belief that they NEVER applied for GCs, that link shows only ONE of several forms and petitions the GC applicants have to submit to USCIS in order to get a Green Card. Some of them have to be completed in quadruplicate, each needs supporting documentation, each has it's own fee and then there are other fees you have to pay to various agencies for fingerprinting, medical exams etc. They all have to be filed in separate folders as each one goes to a separate department. It took me and my husband a couple of months just to compile everything and the envelope we eventually sent in was almost an inch thick.

 

[BritsKate]

Agree wholeheartedly, NancyA...

Correct me if I'm wrong though as, from my own memory, aren't there pretty strict restrictions as to who can sponsor an immigrant though? I'd looked into the process before it was determined kiddos and I would move instead of hubby.

Years ago an in-law could sponsor an applicant but I thought that was done away with. :waitasec: Perhaps they are not as stringent with 'co' sponsors?

 

[NancyA]

I'm not sure since I didn't need a co-sponsor, I guess it could be a family member or employer. I do know that any sponsor not only has to meet the financial requirements but undergo criminal background checks too - drug or domestic violence convictions would definitely preclude them from qualifying.

 

[NancyA]

Here we go, found this in the Q and A section about co-sponsors - http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864.pdf

"What Is a Joint Sponsor?

If the person who is seeking the immigration of one or more of his or her relatives cannot meet the income requirements, a"joint sponsor" who can meet the requirements may submit a Form I-864 to sponsor all or some of the family members. A joint sponsor can be any U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident who is at least 18 years old,domiciled in the United States, or its territories or possessions, and willing to be held jointly liable with the petitioner for the support of the intending immigrant. A joint sponsor does not have to be related to the petitioning sponsor or the intending immigrant."

 

[KPMcLovin]

Just wanted to toss something out...I apologize in advance if someone has mentioned this. I have yet to catch up with this beautiful little girl's case. In fact, I tried to stay away from it because I always find myself getting too attached and heartbroken.

Anyway - looking at the last picture (with bandanna) she looks very sick. If she wasn't being schooled the way she should have been, it stands to reason that she may not have been receiving treatment the way she should have been. If (and I don't know) the parents were receiving some form of benefits for Zahra, and she progressively got sicker and passed away...do you think there's a chance the parents wanted to cover it up so as not to lose the benefits?

Perhaps some sort of disability/SSI/whatever it's called. (lol)

The thought is horrible, but it's something that crossed my mind as I was reading a few of the pages here. Poor baby - what a beautiful smile she has in spite of such a difficult life!!!

Especially coinsidering EB seems to have munchausen tendencies.

 

[alwayslooking]

Hi a little bit about my life....my beautiful adopted grandson was shaken so bad ever oifice on his head was bleeding, the bio got 5 years, he's married as other children and tried to tell the court my grandson was healed and normal
My husband a retired police officer was shot by a 38 hollow point in the head, they are both full time work
I am so sick of the abuse of our babies.........Thanks for letting me rant! God please help us to find Zahra, and put her to rest!

 

[badhorsie]

Welcome Always Looking, great to have you here

 

[FaerieB]

Good morning WSers! Here's hoping today is the day Zahra is found. :crossfingers:

I see the cellphone pic was a topic of discussion again while I slept. I sure wish we knew, for a fact, if Zahra was receiving medical care while in NC. Or whether or not they brought any of Zahra's medication with them when they came over.

To me, that picture could easily be explained away by steroid use (often given to cancer patients). Steroids often cause "moon face" and thinning of the skin; the combination of the two side effects can make the user appear as an abuse victim.

JMO.

ETA: My son's best friend battled A.L.L. valiantly for six years before passing from the disease, and I have many pictures of him looking almost identical to how Zahra looks in that photo. All the pictures were taken during the steroid-use portion of his treatment.