Zahra Baker: Investigators Find Bone; Zahra's Mother Speaks Out from Australia

Hickory, N. Carolina police recovered a bone Wednesday that may be connected to the Zahra Baker case. It is not known where the bone was found, but authorities had been searching an area along Christie Road off Mountain Road. This is the same area Zahra's prosthetic leg was found in last week near a home Elisa Baker once lived in, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The recovered bone has been sent to the medical examiner's office in Chapel Hill for testing. If it is determined the bone belongs to Zahra Baker, it will be sent to the SBI lab in Raleigh for further testing.

According to the Winston-Salem Journal, Caldwell County Sheriff's Office public information officer B.J. Fore said the area where the bone was found is "a crime scene."

Zahra Baker's Mother Breaks Her Silence in Australia:

In Australia, Zahra's biological mother Emily Dietrich has broken her silence for the first time since her daughter went missing October 9.

Following Zahra's birth, her mother suffered from postnatal depression. Her father was given custody of the girl and Ms. Dietrich spent a decade searching for her daughter. With the help of the Internet, she tracked Zahra to N. Carolina three days before she was reported missing.

According to Perth Now, the Seven Network asked Ms. Dietrich if she thought Zahra was still alive. "I don't feel it," she answered.

"They reckon mothers just have this bond with their children and I think having any hope in me makes it hurt more, with what they're finding and the way they're saying she was treated. The only hope I have in me now is that she is gone so she's not being hurt anymore."

Dietrich believes her daughter was already gone by the time she found her.

"She found me to find her and I like to believe that ... she was already gone when I found her and she found me to tell her story and to find her and put her to rest."

Zahra Baker Was Reported Missing October 9:

Elisa Baker, 42, claims she last saw Zahra in the early morning hours of October 9 at the family home in Hickory. Police cast doubt on Adam and Elisa Baker's account of events and were unable to determine how long Zahra had been missing before the couple reported her disappearance to authorities.

In the days following her disappearance, family members and neighbors came forward with allegations of child abuse against the stepmother.

As previously reported, a relative of Elisa Baker, Brittany Bentley, said Zahra "was beat almost every time I was over there for just the smallest things."

She added, "I just think this was something for a long time that we knew was going to happen," Bentley added.

Investigators are still searching wooded and illegal dumping areas.

Zahra's mother said, "I don't want them to find more because it will tell a story I don't want to hear."

See Also:
Zahra Baker: Family and Neighbors Come Forward with Child Abuse Allegations; Homicide Investigation Begins, Kenzy England

Sources:
In My Heart I know my little girl is gone, says mother of Zahra Baker | Perth Now
'They're not leaving any stone unturned' in Zahra Baker search - CharlotteObserver.com
Bone recovered in Zahra Baker case | JournalNow.com