Zahra Baker Case: Human Remains Found

The lasted development in the Zahra Baker case brings a heartbreaking conclusion as sources say that human remains have been found where police were searching for 10 year old Zahra Baker. Police were pointed to the area by Elisa Baker, Zahra's stepmother who is currently in jail for obstruction of justice in the case of the missing North Carolina girl.

Although police have not identified the remains yet, it is believed that the body found may be Zahra Baker. A large hole in the ground next to a creek is evidence of the find. Police have been searching for the bone cancer survivor who wore a prosthetic leg and two hearing aids since she was reported missing by her father Adam Baker on October 9, 2010. The last time someone other than her father and stepmother saw the beautiful little girl was September 25, 2010.

Police knew almost immediately that the girl was most likely dead due to the unusual circumstance surrounding her disappearance. Her stepmother admitted that she faked a ransom note to her husband's boss to make it appear that someone was trying to kidnapped Adam Baker's boss' daughter and took Zahra by mistake.

Elisa Baker then wrote a plethora of letters while she was incarcerated that described how she "found Zahra dead" and that police knew where Zahra's body could be found. She also said in the letters that "they didn't really kill her" but that Adam Baker did something "horrifying" to her after the fact.

Police arrested Adam Baker on unrelated bad check charges, but released him on bail. Adam Baker has been silent since his release.

Elisa Baker was seen earlier this week directing police to a location near a creek in North Carolina, not far from where Elisa lived in 2007.

Zahra and her father moved here from Australia more than a year ago after Adam met Elisa online and wanted to marry her. Friends and neighbors say that Elisa was physically and verbally abusive towards Zahra and that they contacted social services about the abuse.

Zahra was not registered for school this year and Elisa then began telling people that she was home schooled, but there was no sign of school work being done according to neighbors.

Earlier this month, authorities found a prosthetic leg in the same area where the human remains were found and a bone was found earlier this month as well. The prosthetic leg was confirmed as Zahra's by Australian authorities.

Zahra's biological mother lost custody when Zahra was a baby due to post partum depression. Emily Dietrich says that she has been searching for Zahra for years, but that every time she locates Adam and Zahra, they move again, making it difficult for her to file for custody. She is now on her way from Australia to the United States. She has not seen Zahra since she was a baby. She has just located Adam and Zahra in the United States just 3 days before Zahra went missing, although authorities believe that Zahra was dead at least a week prior to her being reported missing.

Sources:

Nancy Grace Live 11/11/10
Hickory Daily Record 11/11/10