NC - Zahra Clare Baker, 10, Hickory, 9 Oct. 2010 #36

[Fyrecat]

I wonder what condition they left the rentals in???
I have a feeling EB is not much of a house keeper.........IMO

EB sounds ?????, not very well educated, rather ignorant, and obviously, controlling.
AB could have returned to Austrailia with his daughter, where she would have been able to get medical care. I bet EB was afraid of that.
I wonder if the life he lived here was what he wanted, if it was better than what he had come from? It doesn't seem so to me. It sounds as though that whole 'thing' with BB was probably some sort of drug thing...an argument over money for drugs.
I believe that EB did have another side with Zhara. She probably could be a likeable person when she was in control and felt she was doing something important and that would make people like her. Then Zhara was someone she liked! Because she was gratifying EB's ego.
I believe that she probably didn't start out as an abusive, cruel Step mom. If she did, I doubt she would have been rejected by AB and his family. She wouldn't have gotten him to return to the US with her, with Zhara. But over time, as the child began to shine and become more herself, EB probably felt she was losing control. Perhaps life with EB wasn't what AB thought it would be, either, and maybe he was talking about leaving. I would bet that all that control came out with this very remarkable 10 year old who sounded very much her own person.

 

[darlin gal]

Once more to Hickory.

3 minutes ago
http://twitter.com/radberkywcnc

 

[KikiWanBaniki]

You and I are on the same wavelength. That's why I was just asking about EB's previous addresses. Unfortunately, without Street View at a lot of those locations it is near impossible to tell what cars are at which residence.

That's true--just hoping to get lucky.

 

[Paintr]

Once more to Hickory.

3 minutes ago
http://twitter.com/radberkywcnc

Good for Rad! Hopefully he will have lots of news to write about today.

 

[PunKnLuV]

OT, I've been up all night again. I cannot sleep..gosh I don't know how much of this I can take!

O/T sorry:
I'm not sure if you can take it with Thyroid medicine so you might wanna do some research and ask your doctor.....but I suffer from insomnia and after googling, reading message boards, and talking to people I learned about Melatonin. It's been a life saver for me!! You need to make sure you have 8 hours put aside to sleep and take it right when you get in bed. I usually take it and when get ready for bed. I curl up with my book and read for about 15-30 minutes and almost as soon as I put my book down I am out!!

I'm a huge fan of natural and homeopathic supplements/remedies. Another couple of things I have found that help are valerian root (be careful it REEKS!!) and/or Passionflower! Valerian should be taken occasionally but the Passionflower works just as good for me.

 

[netsleuther]

Maybe they used Bat phones...oops sorry wrong case.

Seriously this is just a theory, right? Not some concrete info you've been given as a family connection?

Edited to remove snark.

All theory, I wasn't sure what type of radio tower was in the property which can be seen on google maps.

 

[westsidefox64]

Can someone tell me how the GJ works in NC? Will the results be made public or be sealed? Will EB and or AB be there and or testify? Im so new to this I dont understand it. TIA

 

[netsleuther]

EB sounds like trailer 'trash', not very well educated, rather ignorant, and obviously, controlling.
AB could have returned to Austrailia with his daughter, where she would have been able to get medical care. I bet EB was afraid of that.
I wonder if the life he lived here was what he wanted, if it was better than what he had come from? It doesn't seem so to me. It sounds as though that whole 'thing' with BB was probably some sort of drug thing...an argument over money for drugs.
I believe that EB did have another side with Zhara. She probably could be a likeable person when she was in control and felt she was doing something important and that would make people like her. Then Zhara was someone she liked! Because she was gratifying EB's ego.
I believe that she probably didn't start out as an abusive, cruel Step mom. If she did, I doubt she would have been rejected by AB and his family. She wouldn't have gotten him to return to the US with her, with Zhara. But over time, as the child began to shine and become more herself, EB probably felt she was losing control. Perhaps life with EB wasn't what AB thought it would be, either, and maybe he was talking about leaving. I would bet that all that control came out with this very remarkable 10 year old who sounded very much her own person.

It's all too bizarre. So many things to go through. Good thing LE is emotional and determined I hope they can find Z.

 

[waltzingmatilda]

BBM

Yes. They will take all the 4th graders and assign them to a 5th grade class - unless they hear directly from the family and family has stated they have moved or that the child will not be returning.

It is interesting that the school followed up on Zahra once school had started and she wasn't there. The had EB's phone # (and it obviously was a cell) to call and that's when she told them they were homeschooling. I think its a good thing this was a suburban, smaller, school district. Where I'm at - no way would any school call (or even try to call) for every student that didn't show up but attended last year.

In the NC county in which I worked, teachers were required to call each student on their enrollment form to welcome them to the class and the school year and give supply lists and such. It is the schools responsibility to continue trying to contact the student who hasn't shown up, especially if there has been no records request for transfer of the student from another school. The schools must have official enrollment numbers by the 20th day of school, IIRC. The enrollment numbers are what drives the number of teachers hired for the school year, grants, government funding. A high percentage of students on 'free lunch' allows for federal funds. The schools must submit their enrollment numbers by that 20th day. I was hired one year for a positiion on that 20th day. Thiss is MOO as things may be different since I left teaching in '08.

Hope this helps.

wm

 

[Kaybug]

This is a link to another site where you can see street view addresses.

http://www.vpike.com/

 

[CarrieBean]

Sorry to be a drive-by poster

Been following Zahra's case as much as possible, and one thing I haven't seen/read is if Zahra's prosthetic leg was found intact?

 

[adonicawolf]

How did the mattress get to the landfill. Do people just wander in or do they pay a fee? If it was thrown in a dumpster,which one..
Please excuse me,I've had too much coffee or not enough,and my mind is raceing like it's on a hampster wheel..

I live in Ashe county NC not far from Lenoir. I looked up Lenoir's Solid Waste Department http://www.co.lenoir.nc.us/solidwaste.html and it seems to run like ours so I'll try to explain how it works. You have 3 choices ... you can either hire a waste management company to pick up your trash (Most people who do this live in bigger towns), another option is you can drop your garbage off yourself at one of the Recycling & Convience centers in your county which is nothing more than a fenced in area with dumpsters that line the fence inside the lot. There are several dumpsters for regular garbage (bagged trash) then other dumpsters specifically for recycled items (glass,cans ect) Any mattresses discarded at the R&C stations would be disposed in the dumpster that holds nothing but household furniture. There is a worker there at all times when the R&C is open to ensure the items go into the proper dumpster. There is no fee charged to use these stations.

Last option is to drive your garbage straight to the landfill. You do not pay to drop items off at the landfill unless it's something like roof shingles. When you enter the landfill you stop at a little booth were they ask you what you have to dispose of then they weigh your vehicle no matter what you are dumping then direct you to the area where you need to go. Certain areas are recycling areas then your main garbage area where you back your vehicle up to the edge of the pit and throw all garbage that's not recycled in including furnitures and mattresses. There is always a guy there on some spiky roller equipment that actually crushes and tills the garbage into the dirt. You then drive back to the booth which is the only entry and exit area and the reweigh your vehicle and then pass you through.

I'd like to point out a couple of things....

Even though I live in Ashe County,NC I can still drive to say Watauga County,NC or any other county actually and dispose of my garbage in their counties Recycle and Convience station and NO ONE would know I wasn't from that County as they don't check ... you just drive in and discard your garbage in the proper dumpsters and drive out the exit.

Also since you don't pay any of these options (with the exception if you hire a trash company to pick up your trash or roofing tiles) There is absolutely no reason what so ever for people dumping along side of roads ect.

Hope this helps you. :dance:

 

[peg4x4]

Hummm~~~ Could LE contact Google and ask for closeups? We can get only so close,but the "master photos" would be clearer..

 

[Wise Old Owl]

Can someone tell me how the GJ works in NC? Will the results be made public or be sealed? Will EB and or AB be there and or testify? Im so new to this I dont understand it. TIA

Grand Jury - while the meeting may be made public - everything is done "in secret". The results will made public only in the fact of any charges coming down. Whatever happens in that room will remain sealed. They can hear from witnesses, prosecutors, etc. but EB and AB WILL NOT testify there (because they are the ones probably being looked at to indict).

Sometimes the Grand Jury takes days - others just one. I'm hoping so much that we hear of indictments being handed down today - but it might not be until tomorrow.

 

[TxLady2]

I am still not convinced that it was Adam writing bad checks, or that he knew the checks he was writing would bounce. If they had a joint account and EB was writing checks when there were insufficient funds in the account, they would both be liable--whether they knew about the lack of funds or not. After all, EB had a LONG history of writing bad checks before Adam ever came into the picture.

If it is a joint account and both names are on the account, it is whoever signs the check that is held accountable, if I am not mistaken. If he did not sign it, he can claim he knew nothing about it. However, I understand that he has some worthless check charges as well, so they both could have been passing bad checks and his are separate from hers.

 

[KikiWanBaniki]

[respectfully snipped]:

O/T sorry:
I suffer from insomnia and after googling, reading message boards, and talking to people I learned about Melatonin. It's been a life saver for me!!

O/T as well, but just had to add that 5 out of 5 people in my family have AD/HD, and melatonin has saved what little is left of my sanity!

 

[Makara]

:Welcome-12-june:

to you Makara and thank you for the thought-provoking post!

At this point it would really help me to know what Zahra's prosthetic leg looked like. She referred to it as a Barbie leg and I know there is a titanium core, so I am imagining a real-leg look on the outside--but what kind of knee might it have had? What would the top have looked like/how would it have affixed to her stump? Would the foot/ankle have been flexible?

Each of these points would be a place where mulch or backyard dirt could enter the item and then be transferred to where it was found.

Conversely, I wonder what bits of evidence they took from that back yard. Can't imagine that the prosthetic would have left behind evidence in the mulch pile if it had been buried there? Unless:

a) it had been used as a weapon and a piece of the external covering had broken off and been left in the dirt? or
b) the wrapping for Zahra's stump was left with the prosthesis if/when it was buried or hidden in the backyard.:twocents:

Thank you for the welcome ynotdivein. I'm also thinking the same as you in regard to the description of the leg although I have no exact knowledge of prosthetic legs at all.

BBM. My thoughts exactly. Do you recall the video of the investigator pulling something out of a hole in the Baker's backyard last week? (Sorry don't have the link at the moment.) IMO that looked like something wet (due to rain maybe) and perhaps charred. Why were the investigators using rakes and sifters? IMO they were looking for small pieces of something ie, broken bits of the prosthesis. One thing I did notice was there were no metal detectors used in the backyard? It's my understanding that small amounts of titanium will not set off a metal detector but I could be wrong on that count. IMO the searchers were looking for evidence of something that had been buried in the backyard and bits of that something were left behind.

Just looking again on the search warrant and it say there were (4) "burn samples" taken from the brush pile AND the Tahoe.

So something was taken from the brush pile and put into the Tahoe???

BBM. That's what I'm thinking.

 

[darlin gal]

Can someone tell me how the GJ works in NC? Will the results be made public or be sealed? Will EB and or AB be there and or testify? Im so new to this I dont understand it. TIA

Here is a link to FAQ about the Grand Jury System
http://www.abanet.org/media/faqjury.html

AB won't be there unless the prosecution would call him as a witness for some reason.

 

[Fyrecat]

Cat, sorry to disagree here, but it's no so simple.
Here, I can tell you how it happens. A report is made. Child Protective goes out and investigates. They speak with the parent. They speak with the child. They speak, sometimes if possible, with neighbors.
If the parents aren't home, they keep trying. They usually do speak with the child at some poing. But if the person moves, if they dissapear, if there are no 'prior' cases it can become difficult to track them down, sometimes impossible. They will try.
Some cases aren't 'founded'. If the child has no bruises, if the child doesn't seem to be hurt, if the child denies the story, if there isn't collaboration from others, the matter may be dismissed. However....there will be a flag if a report on that person comes up again.
DSS can't come and snatch a child away based on what someone else says. People report others for reasons that have nothing to do with children being abused. Sometimes it's an ex partner, who has an axe to grind. Sometimes it's someone else who wants to make the person being investiaged embarssed or afraid.
There are certain things A CPS worker must look for, but they are not perfect. Most work incredibly hard, care very much about the children they are trying to help, and do their best. Most are put in dangerous situations daily, and have only their professionalism and compassion to carry them through.
They can only work within the content of the law as well, and have to operate within each states laws.

If a person cannot do the job then they need to move over so someone can.
I know the case loads are heavy on all states and more help is needed all over.
I now have joined and waiting for my Class to start in January. CASA is a place where we all can step up and join in to help children, it is called CASA, it is every day citizens that judges appoint to advocate for the well being of children who have been removed or put back in homes due to abuse and neglest. They stand for these children like Z and change their lives. CASA Volunteers work with the courts, go to thehomes, stand by the children when no one else will, they are there. Anyone who wishes to help make a difference can step up and do so. A baby or child is waiting for you, I promice one will be there and needs you. The address is www.CASAforchildren.org.. Please help make a difference for a child. Who knows maybe if we all stand up now in a few years we will not have to see another Zora , Caylee, Haliegh child case again. you can also just google CASA for your state, I think all states have CASA now.

 

[Soulmagent]

Thank you for the welcome ynotdivein. I'm also thinking the same as you in regard to the description of the leg although I have no exact knowledge of prosthetic legs at all.

BBM. My thoughts exactly. Do you recall the video of the investigator pulling something out of a hole in the Baker's backyard last week? (Sorry don't have the link at the moment.) IMO that looked like something wet (due to rain maybe) and perhaps charred. Why were the investigators using rakes and sifters? IMO they were looking for small pieces of something ie, broken bits of the prosthesis. One thing I did notice was there were no metal detectors used in the backyard? It's my understanding that small amounts of titanium will not set off a metal detector but I could be wrong on that count. IMO the searchers were looking for evidence of something that had been buried in the backyard and bits of that something was left behind.

BBM. That's what I'm thinking.

That is a very good conclusion. I also noticed the lack of metal dectors. So if they were looking for pieces of the prosthetic would they need to consult a prosthetic specailist to be able to determine what exactly they were looking for?