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SC - Ka'Niyah Baker, 13, considered to be in danger, Hopkins, 13 Jan 2025 *Arrests*
- Thread starter imstilla.grandma
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RI - Mass Shooting at Brown University - Providence 13 Dec 2025- Latest: Synergizer Bunny
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City Manager Teresa Wilson adds, “Ka’Niyah’s death has shaken me at my core. In our beautiful city with so much growth and prosperity, we must continue to ensure that all of our children are protected and surrounded with the resources they deserve and a sense of hope, no matter their circumstances.”
www.abccolumbia.com
Columbia Police Chief on murder of 13 year old: Brutal and heinous - ABC Columbia
Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said she was bludgeoned, stabbed and burned. Holbrook described the crime as brutal, heinous and gruesome.
www.abccolumbia.com
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We haven't kept up with Ka'Niyah's sad and horrific case. My memory was jogged by the similarities to a current case in the news -- the murder of Danika Troy, 14, of FL. Danika was found shot and burned last week, and two boys, ages 14 and 16, have been charged with premeditated murder. Ka'Niyah was found stabbed, bludgeoned and burned, and two girls, ages 15 and 16, were charged with her murder. (There is a WS thread for Danika in the "Spotlight on Children" forum.)
I'm posting links to a few articles published since the last post in Ka'Niah's thread. There hasn't been very much in MSM. The most current article I found is dated Sept 5.
people.com
January 20, 2025
*****
Originally from Sumter, S.C., Baker was reported missing on Jan. 12. She had recently entered foster care in Columbia and had a “history of running away," per police.
*****
The 16-year-old suspect was reported missing by her mother on Jan. 12. She is wanted by the Department of Juvenile Justice after “cutting off her ankle monitor” and has “a history of disorderly conduct,” said Holbrook. She last attended high school in January 2024 and is “a frequent runaway.”
The 15-year-old suspect was last enrolled in high school in December 2024 and is also “a frequent runaway.” The last known addresses of both suspects were in Columbia, S.C., according to police.
*******************************************************************
"Experts Weigh In on Teen Violence" - WLTX
*****************************************************************
www.wltx.com
January 25, 2025
a video from Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford has gone viral, with hundreds of thousands of views, as she speaks from the heart directly to parents and teens.
Rutherford didn’t pull any punches while addressing teens directly.
“You may be running away with someone who has undiagnosed mental illness, with violent homicidal tendencies. You don’t know enough to know what the hell you don’t know,” she said.
*****
“Ka’Niyah Baker being labeled as a runaway really got to me because it doesn’t matter that she was a runaway. What matters is that she was murdered. What matters is that this was a homicide. What matters is that two other teenagers are being charged with the crime against her,” she said.
*****
“There’s lots of sex trafficking that has happened here in Columbia. I’ve seen the end result of that. I’ve had teens come up to me at schools where I do motivational talks and tell me about situations that they’ve had. And then some of these girls are afraid to go home again just because of the shame and the embarrassment," she explained.
*****
************************************************************************
www.wltx.com
Questions have been raised regarding the protocols surrounding ankle monitors and their use in tracking offenders after the recent murder of Ka'Niyah Baker.
*****
Once installed, the units typically remain strapped to the offender until removed by an authorized agent. However, offenders sometimes try to disable the devices.
That’s allegedly what happened with one of the suspects in the brutal killing of 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker, according to Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook.
*****
Many court orders don’t specify what happens if a device is removed. If nothing is specified, caseworkers will consult the Solicitor's Office to decide what steps to take. They said that while their caseworkers are responsible for monitoring youth who have been ordered to wear trackers, they are not law enforcement officers and have no authority to take children into custody should a device be disabled.
*****
More in linked article
********************************************************************
theitem.com
Ka'Niyah's obituary:
Ka’Niyah Bernice-Lauren Baker, 13, daughter of Georg L. Baker and Kendra Denise Gardner, was born on April 29, 2011, in Jacksonville, Florida. She departed this life on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Columbia.
Miss Baker will be placed in the church at noon for viewing until the hour service.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at Salem Chapel & Heritage Center, 101 S. Salem Ave., Sumter, with Pastor Richard Hampton. Sr. officiating.
Job’s Mortuary Inc., 312 S. Main St., is in charge of arrangements.
*************************************************************************
www.wrdw.com
February 3, 2025
Dozens of people came out to Columbia on Sunday to pay their respects to 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker who was killed in early January, according to police.
Two twins from Sumter who grew up in the foster care system led the charge in making sure Baker’s memory lives on. Davon and Tavon Woods, the founders of the nonprofit, Foster Kids Matter, paid their respects by walking near where she was found.
*****
The Sumter twins have been walking across the country for years in support of the foster care system. They say Baker’s story hit them hard, after finding out she was also a foster kid originally from Sumter.
*****
*******************************************************************
wach.com
A solemn walk took place Tuesday evening to honor the memory of Ka'Niyah Baker, a 13-year-old girl whose life was tragically cut short in a crime described by police as "heinous and vicious." The event, held on what would have been Baker's 14th birthday, was organized by Davon and Tavon Woods, co-founders of Foster Kids Matter, who traveled from Ohio to ensure her name is remembered.
*****
****************************************************************************
www.postandcourier.com
July 15, 2025
Paywall -- Following is visible part.
Six months ago, police reported finding the burned body of 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker in a vacant home after she was stabbed and bludgeoned. They arrested two teenage girls on murder charges, a killing that veteran investigators could only describe as “shocking” and “gut wrenching.”
The area’s chief prosecutor, Solicitor Byron Gipson, had said his office would seek to move the case from family court to criminal court, where the teens can be tried as adults due to the heinous nature of Baker’s death.
*********************************************************************
www.wistv.com
September 4, 2025
Authorities confirmed Thursday that a recent escapee from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice is charged with the murder of a Columbia teenager earlier this year.
During a press conference, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the 16-year-old who escaped from DJJ’s detention center on Sunday is one of two suspects facing murder charges in the death of 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker.
*****
Lott said DJJ asked for his department’s assistance at around 6 p.m. Sunday for an escapee and a search began. Nearly three hours later, Lott said a car believed to be involved was pulled over on Wilson Boulevard and Sharpe Road.
The teenager and her mother, 39-year-old Savannah Mills, were both inside and taken into custody. Lott also said two firearms were found in the vehicle.
“Not only were both of them in the car, there were also two guns in the car, one of them was reported stolen out of Richland Co. previously,” Lott said.
*****
Mills was initially arrested for aiding the escape of a prisoner and posted a $10,000 bond on Tuesday. She was arrested again on Wednesday on new charges related to the stolen gun and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Mills was granted a $150,000 bond and remains jailed at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center as of 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
*****
“The community needs to know that this should be the poster child right there of what not to be as a mom, what not to be as a parent, you can’t get a worse example of a parent then what you see right there,” said Lott when referencing a picture of Mills.
*****
More in linked article.
**********************************************************************
www.wltx.com
September 5, 2025
*****
"When you talk about these kids and the crimes, they commit, and you ask why, I think today, when I tell about this case, you're going to see why some of these kids are involved in crime," Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. "It comes from the home and it comes from the parents."
*****
Lott announced that 39-year-old Savannah Mills is now charged with aiding the escape of a prisoner charged with a capital offense and contributing to the delinquency of a minor for assisting her 16-year-old daughter during her escape from a Department of Juvenile Justice facility in Columbia on Sunday evening.
*****
"It just shocks me that a mom who knows what her daughter has done, knows that she's escaped, and here she is basically trying to get her out of town," Lott said.
*****
"We send a message loud and clear out there: If you condone, participate, help your son or daughter commit a crime, then you're going to be arrested," he said. "You're going to be held accountable."
*****
More in the linked article
*************************************************************
Sheriff Lott's Press Conference (worth watching - he doesn't hold back.)
I'm posting links to a few articles published since the last post in Ka'Niah's thread. There hasn't been very much in MSM. The most current article I found is dated Sept 5.
2 Teen Girls Charged with Murder After Missing 13-Year-Old Girl Is Found ‘Bludgeoned, Stabbed and Burned’
Missing Ka’Niyah Baker was found dead by authorities after a fire at a vacant residence in South Carolina at around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 15, the Columbia Police Department said in a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 18.
January 20, 2025
*****
Originally from Sumter, S.C., Baker was reported missing on Jan. 12. She had recently entered foster care in Columbia and had a “history of running away," per police.
*****
The 16-year-old suspect was reported missing by her mother on Jan. 12. She is wanted by the Department of Juvenile Justice after “cutting off her ankle monitor” and has “a history of disorderly conduct,” said Holbrook. She last attended high school in January 2024 and is “a frequent runaway.”
The 15-year-old suspect was last enrolled in high school in December 2024 and is also “a frequent runaway.” The last known addresses of both suspects were in Columbia, S.C., according to police.
*******************************************************************
"Experts Weigh In on Teen Violence" - WLTX
*****************************************************************
Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford has a message for teens - and their parents
In the wake of the killing of 13-year-old Ka'Niyah Baker, Naida Rutherford posted a video aimed at teens and parents that has hundreds of thousands of views.
www.wltx.com
January 25, 2025
a video from Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford has gone viral, with hundreds of thousands of views, as she speaks from the heart directly to parents and teens.
Rutherford didn’t pull any punches while addressing teens directly.
“You may be running away with someone who has undiagnosed mental illness, with violent homicidal tendencies. You don’t know enough to know what the hell you don’t know,” she said.
*****
“Ka’Niyah Baker being labeled as a runaway really got to me because it doesn’t matter that she was a runaway. What matters is that she was murdered. What matters is that this was a homicide. What matters is that two other teenagers are being charged with the crime against her,” she said.
*****
“There’s lots of sex trafficking that has happened here in Columbia. I’ve seen the end result of that. I’ve had teens come up to me at schools where I do motivational talks and tell me about situations that they’ve had. And then some of these girls are afraid to go home again just because of the shame and the embarrassment," she explained.
*****
************************************************************************
Murder of Ka’Niyah Baker raises concerns about ankle monitor protocols for juvenile offenders
The Department of Juvenile Justice says the consequences of disabling a tracking device are handled case-by-case.
www.wltx.com
Questions have been raised regarding the protocols surrounding ankle monitors and their use in tracking offenders after the recent murder of Ka'Niyah Baker.
*****
Once installed, the units typically remain strapped to the offender until removed by an authorized agent. However, offenders sometimes try to disable the devices.
That’s allegedly what happened with one of the suspects in the brutal killing of 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker, according to Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook.
*****
Many court orders don’t specify what happens if a device is removed. If nothing is specified, caseworkers will consult the Solicitor's Office to decide what steps to take. They said that while their caseworkers are responsible for monitoring youth who have been ordered to wear trackers, they are not law enforcement officers and have no authority to take children into custody should a device be disabled.
*****
More in linked article
********************************************************************
KA'NIYAH BERNICE-LAUREN BAKER - The Sumter Item
Ka’Niyah Bernice-Lauren Baker, 13, daughter of Georg L. Baker and Kendra Denise Gardner, was born on April 29, 2011, in Jacksonville, Florida. She departed this life on Wednesday, Jan. 15, …
theitem.com
Ka'Niyah's obituary:
Ka’Niyah Bernice-Lauren Baker, 13, daughter of Georg L. Baker and Kendra Denise Gardner, was born on April 29, 2011, in Jacksonville, Florida. She departed this life on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Columbia.
Miss Baker will be placed in the church at noon for viewing until the hour service.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at Salem Chapel & Heritage Center, 101 S. Salem Ave., Sumter, with Pastor Richard Hampton. Sr. officiating.
Job’s Mortuary Inc., 312 S. Main St., is in charge of arrangements.
*************************************************************************
Dozens pay respects to slain S.C. foster teen with walk in her honor
Dozens of people came out to Columbia Sunday to pay their respects to 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker who was killed in early January, according to police.
February 3, 2025
Dozens of people came out to Columbia on Sunday to pay their respects to 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker who was killed in early January, according to police.
Two twins from Sumter who grew up in the foster care system led the charge in making sure Baker’s memory lives on. Davon and Tavon Woods, the founders of the nonprofit, Foster Kids Matter, paid their respects by walking near where she was found.
*****
The Sumter twins have been walking across the country for years in support of the foster care system. They say Baker’s story hit them hard, after finding out she was also a foster kid originally from Sumter.
*****
*******************************************************************
Community honors Ka'Niyah Baker for her 14th birthday
A solemn walk took place Tuesday evening to honor the memory of Ka'Niyah Baker, a 13-year-old girl whose life was tragically cut short in a crime described by p
wach.com
A solemn walk took place Tuesday evening to honor the memory of Ka'Niyah Baker, a 13-year-old girl whose life was tragically cut short in a crime described by police as "heinous and vicious." The event, held on what would have been Baker's 14th birthday, was organized by Davon and Tavon Woods, co-founders of Foster Kids Matter, who traveled from Ohio to ensure her name is remembered.
*****
****************************************************************************
Months after SC girl’s 'brutal' death, officials mum as they try to charge teen attackers as adults
Police arrested two teen girls on murder charges in January, after the body of 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker was discovered in a vacant Columbia home.
July 15, 2025
Paywall -- Following is visible part.
Six months ago, police reported finding the burned body of 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker in a vacant home after she was stabbed and bludgeoned. They arrested two teenage girls on murder charges, a killing that veteran investigators could only describe as “shocking” and “gut wrenching.”
The area’s chief prosecutor, Solicitor Byron Gipson, had said his office would seek to move the case from family court to criminal court, where the teens can be tried as adults due to the heinous nature of Baker’s death.
*********************************************************************
Mother accused of helping daughter charged in Ka’Niyah Baker case escape DJJ
Authorities confirmed new details about a 16-year-old girl who escaped DJJ custody earlier this week.
September 4, 2025
Authorities confirmed Thursday that a recent escapee from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice is charged with the murder of a Columbia teenager earlier this year.
During a press conference, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the 16-year-old who escaped from DJJ’s detention center on Sunday is one of two suspects facing murder charges in the death of 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker.
*****
Lott said DJJ asked for his department’s assistance at around 6 p.m. Sunday for an escapee and a search began. Nearly three hours later, Lott said a car believed to be involved was pulled over on Wilson Boulevard and Sharpe Road.
The teenager and her mother, 39-year-old Savannah Mills, were both inside and taken into custody. Lott also said two firearms were found in the vehicle.
“Not only were both of them in the car, there were also two guns in the car, one of them was reported stolen out of Richland Co. previously,” Lott said.
*****
Mills was initially arrested for aiding the escape of a prisoner and posted a $10,000 bond on Tuesday. She was arrested again on Wednesday on new charges related to the stolen gun and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Mills was granted a $150,000 bond and remains jailed at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center as of 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
*****
“The community needs to know that this should be the poster child right there of what not to be as a mom, what not to be as a parent, you can’t get a worse example of a parent then what you see right there,” said Lott when referencing a picture of Mills.
*****
More in linked article.
**********************************************************************
South Carolina teen murder suspect escapes, custody allegedly with mother’s help. What deputies found when they caught them stunned even the sheriff.
Authorities say Savannah Mills helped her 16-year-old daughter escape juvenile custody. Deputies later found them together in a car with two guns, one stolen.
www.wltx.com
September 5, 2025
*****
"When you talk about these kids and the crimes, they commit, and you ask why, I think today, when I tell about this case, you're going to see why some of these kids are involved in crime," Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. "It comes from the home and it comes from the parents."
*****
Lott announced that 39-year-old Savannah Mills is now charged with aiding the escape of a prisoner charged with a capital offense and contributing to the delinquency of a minor for assisting her 16-year-old daughter during her escape from a Department of Juvenile Justice facility in Columbia on Sunday evening.
*****
"It just shocks me that a mom who knows what her daughter has done, knows that she's escaped, and here she is basically trying to get her out of town," Lott said.
*****
"We send a message loud and clear out there: If you condone, participate, help your son or daughter commit a crime, then you're going to be arrested," he said. "You're going to be held accountable."
*****
More in the linked article
*************************************************************
Sheriff Lott's Press Conference (worth watching - he doesn't hold back.)
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