NC - Zahra Clare Baker, 10, Hickory, 9 Oct. 2010 #35

[tlcya]

The 'red-headed, pot smoking son' is also a negative, derogatory description. Factoring in her known lifestyle, in that pot smoking would not be objectionable, this description could possibly be added to deflect away from her being the writer of the ransom note.

and to further draw attention towards the "kidnapping" being related to the Coffeys and away from the Bakers.

ETA as if to suggest some enmity towards the Coffeys IYKWIM

 

[Etilema]

We have this only on the information of the alleged birth mother, via HM, do we not? I'm unaware of it in other sources.

Yes, you are right, as far as I know. So I should have said that, if true, it is a plausible reason for keeping Zahra with them. Thanks.

 

[MissJames]

There is nothing wrong with homeschooling unless they are not being schooled at all...

There is certain paperwork and assignments you need to submit to your school board so they can make sure your child is meeting requirements.
You cant just say im homeschooling my child and not have to prove it
it must be documented. And the child must hand in the necessary tests and assignments. Zahra slipped thru the cracks again! JMO

I homeschooled for 7 years. Here we have to join an association by mail and turn into them an attendance record and a report card (we choose the method of grading) twice a year. We have 360 days / 24/7 to get in 180 days of school.There are no hourly requirements as to what a day is .

Most homeschooling families sincerely just want to educate their kids in a way that works best for them.The slackers who fall through the cracks almost always have other red flags that should tip off authorities.

Some kids are better off at home and some at school.Right now I have one in an awesome special ed program in public school and on one in a private school with VERY low class sizes.

There were so many red flags on this family that choosing to homeschool should have been the final straw for family and aquaintences to push LE.I support homeschooling,but NOT for those known to abuse their children.

I'm wondering if Zahra was already dead or obviously injured when school started back and that's why EB said they were homeschooling her.

 

[KikiWanBaniki]

The 'red-headed, pot smoking son' is also a negative, derogatory description. Factoring in her known lifestyle, in that pot smoking would not be objectionable, this description could possibly be added to deflect away from her being the writer of the ransom note.

Also, as some here have suggested, perhaps to establish 'insider knowledge' by the supposed writer of the ransom note. I'd be willing to bet that EB took a look at other ransom notes online, and tried to fashion hers in a way that would be consistent with legitimate ones (some of which include info that illustrate that the victims are being watched, etc.). After all, it seems she prides herself on finding a group she wants to fit into ('goths', for example), and then doing whatever she can to be like them. If so, wouldn't she have applied those techniques to this, as well? JMOO

 

[Angleena]

Perhaps she went to the gas station to fill up a gas can and it spilled inside the vehicle.

I started thinking along the lines that maybe the fire wasn't supposed to happen at all. It does not make sense to draw attention to the yard when there seems to be so much possible evidence in the yard.

EB claims she checked on Zahra around 2:30 am. The fire was called in around 5:20 am.

The dogs hit on both vehicles having decomp present.

Here is a theory. Maybe EB put Zahra in one vehicle and decided that the body was too visible by those who might pass her on the road. She moves the body into the Tahoe. The Tahoe is a work vehicle, so it's likely to have full cans of gasoline in it. In the process of putting the body in the Tahoe, a full can of gasoline spills in the Tahoe and flows out to the ground.

She disposes of Zahra's body between the hours of 2:30 am and 5:00 am. She returns to the house and parks the Tahoe a few feet away from where it was originally parked. She tosses a cigarette as she gets out of the vehicle, goes into the house. The dogs bark and wake up AB, not because of a fire but because EB is coming in the back door. The tossed cigarette smolders in the mulch and eventually ignites the gasoline.

I'm almost betting that all of this has to do with money. The plan was to extort money from the boss without getting police involved. EB (or both) planned to play the guilt card on the boss to get him to give them money to get Zahra back, after all, Zahra was missing because the boss had angered someone....his daughter is safe and Zahra is missing all because of him. Don't get the police involved, just give us money to get Zahra back.

The fire made EB (or both) have to rework the plan. It is the only theory that I can come up with where AB might not have played a part in it. Perhaps he was woken up by the dogs barking at EB coming in the door rather than by the fire in the back yard.

Just another possible theory to throw out there.

 

[Etilema]

There is nothing wrong with homeschooling unless they are not being schooled at all...

There is certain paperwork and assignments you need to submit to your school board so they can make sure your child is meeting requirements.
You cant just say im homeschooling my child and not have to prove it
it must be documented. And the child must hand in the necessary tests and assignments. Zahra slipped thru the cracks again! JMO

It really honestly depends on the regulations of one's particular state. There is a spectrum of how much is required and how much freedom homeschoolers have. Here are the requirements in North Carolina:

http://www.ncdnpe.org/hhh103.aspx

 

[KikiWanBaniki]

and to further draw attention towards the "kidnapping" being related to the Coffeys and away from the Bakers.

ETA as if to suggest some enmity towards the Coffeys IYKWIM

I think someone may have floated this before, but do any of us have information to indicate that there was a fellow employee of AB's that he had a falling out with? I could see EB trying to frame someone like that, and to me, it would make sense in the context of the note.

 

[MissJames]

True, but why pour the gas and NOT just go ahead and torch the whole vehicle? You already plan on setting a mulch fire, so what's the difference? Much more likely a fire would destroy all evidence than just the gas, so why not go the extra step? Only thing I can think of is the ransom note. Can't burn the note, otherwise the entire story falls apart.

If they were using drugs while carrying out this coverup there will be mistakes. I'm going to assume a drug test was performed on EB when she was booked .I would love to know what came back.

 

[tlcya]

some really good thoughts in there Angleena. I will have to mull on that one a while.

 

[wfgodot]

Also, as some here have suggested, perhaps to establish 'insider knowledge' by the supposed writer of the ransom note. I'd be willing to bet that EB took a look at other ransom notes online, and tried to fashion hers in a way that would be consistent with legitimate ones (some of which include info that illustrate that the victims are being watched, etc.). After all, it seems she prides herself on finding a group she wants to fit into ('goths', for example), and then doing whatever she can to be like them. If so, wouldn't she have applied those techniques to this, as well? JMOO

The ransom note always read to me like a down-market version of the Ramsey note in Boulder - not the note to copy, imo, in order to be thought of as legitimate!

 

[ynotdivein]

:waitasec: On page 6 of the search warrant it lists "(4) burnt samples (from tahoe and brush fire)"... http://www.wbtv.com/global/link.asp?l=460807

Color me confused. 'Bout the only thing I feel sure of is that something very bad happened to Zahra on Tuesday October 5, and sadly I cannot link to my hunches.

 

[Etilema]

I started thinking along the lines that maybe the fire wasn't supposed to happen at all. It does not make sense to draw attention to the yard when there seems to be so much possible evidence in the yard.

EB claims she checked on Zahra around 2:30 am. The fire was called in around 5:20 am.

The dogs hit on both vehicles having decomp present.

Here is a theory. Maybe EB put Zahra in one vehicle and decided that the body was too visible by those who might pass her on the road. She moves the body into the Tahoe. The Tahoe is a work vehicle, so it's likely to have full cans of gasoline in it. In the process of putting the body in the Tahoe, a full can of gasoline spills in the Tahoe and flows out to the ground.

She disposes of Zahra's body between the hours of 2:30 am and 5:00 am. She returns to the house and parks the Tahoe a few feet away from where it was originally parked. She tosses a cigarette as she gets out of the vehicle, goes into the house. The dogs bark and wake up AB, not because of a fire but because EB is coming in the back door. The tossed cigarette smolders in the mulch and eventually ignites the gasoline.

I'm almost betting that all of this has to do with money. The plan was to extort money from the boss without getting police involved. EB (or both) planned to play the guilt card on the boss to get him to give them money to get Zahra back, after all, Zahra was missing because the boss had angered someone....his daughter is safe and Zahra is missing all because of him. Don't get the police involved, just give us money to get Zahra back.

The fire made EB (or both) have to rework the plan. It is the only theory that I can come up with where AB might not have played a part in it. Perhaps he was woken up by the dogs barking at EB coming in the door rather than by the fire in the back yard.

Just another possible theory to throw out there.

This theory addresses some of the perplexing points about the ransom note and fire and gasoline. It sounds plausible to me, although perhaps some of the details may have played out differently. JMO

 

[tlcya]

I think someone may have floated this before, but do any of us have information to indicate that there was a fellow employee of AB's that he had a falling out with? I could see EB trying to frame someone like that, and to me, it would make sense in the context of the note.

BBM I can only answer for myself, I have NO info about disgruntled ex-employees. I was actually considering that EB may be trying to suggest with the note that the blame for the "kidnapping" could somehow be laid at the feet of the son. As in some sort of person upset by the son or by Coffey in regards to something related to the son.

But as far as I know, IT IS ALL speculation from WS pertaining to why the note was written and directed to Coffey. No facts, no links to back it up just various posters, including myself, theorizing.

 

[KikiWanBaniki]

The ransom note always read to me like a down-market version of the Ramsey note in Boulder - not the note to copy, imo, in order to be thought of as legitimate!

Very true, but may even add to my theory, if EB has some sort of bizarre macabre admiration of others who've garnered fame for these types of things, which in my opinion, is fairly likely. JMOO

 

[ynotdivein]

I'm almost betting that all of this has to do with money. The plan was to extort money from the boss without getting police involved. EB (or both) planned to play the guilt card on the boss to get him to give them money to get Zahra back, after all, Zahra was missing because the boss had angered someone....his daughter is safe and Zahra is missing all because of him. Don't get the police involved, just give us money to get Zahra back.

The fire made EB (or both) have to rework the plan. It is the only theory that I can come up with where AB might not have played a part in it. Perhaps he was woken up by the dogs barking at EB coming in the door rather than by the fire in the back yard.

Just another possible theory to throw out there.

RSBBM--this would also explain why they called the boss before calling 911. HMMMMMM!

 

[Etilema]

Very true, but may even add to my theory, if EB has some sort of bizarre macabre admiration of others who've garnered fame for these types of things, which in my opinion, is fairly likely. JMOO

Also, it must be remembered that the Ramseys never were charged with murder...perhaps she thought, "It worked for them!" Just speculating.

 

[Lera213]

I believe the fire was in the back of the house and more away from the house. Looking at the back of the house there is no door. The door is on one side and front only. Flicking a cig would not land that far into the middle of the yard. MOO

 

[KikiWanBaniki]

RSBBM--this would also explain why they called the boss before calling 911. HMMMMMM!

Brainstorm! What if EB and AB had assumed that the boss would come over to check it out, and they'd stage finding the note then? Since he didn't come over, they had to quickly adjust their plan at that point?

 

[wfgodot]

Also, it must be remembered that the Ramseys never were charged with murder...perhaps she thought, "It worked for them!" Just speculating.

Quite true, good observation. She perhaps failed to note that she had less income and thus might be unable to let her money do the talking - typical of an inflated ego, that sort of failure.

 

[Etilema]

RSBBM--this would also explain why they called the boss before calling 911. HMMMMMM!

I've seen that mentioned a few times here, but where in MSM is it reported?

I know that in the 911 call, AB says that he had talked to the boss (obviously before calling 911), but I understood that to be because of the ransom note found while the fire department/police were there earlier. Remember it was reported that they went to check on the Coffey's at that point, etc? In other words, that AB had talked to the boss at THAT time, in the morning, not when he noticed his daughter missing.