Disappearance of Erica Baker
Erica Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Erica Nicole Baker June 22, 1989 |
| Disappeared | February 7, 1999 (aged 9) Kettering, Ohio, U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 26 years and 1 day |
| Parent(s) | Misty Baker (mother) Greg Baker (father) |
Erica Nicole Baker (June 22, 1989 – disappeared February 7, 1999) is an American girl who disappeared from her hometown of Kettering, Ohio, while walking her dog. She was last seen near the Kettering Recreation Complex.[1]
Disappearance
[edit]On February 7, 1999, Erica Baker had asked her grandmother, Pam Schmidt, if she could take her Shih Tzu out for a walk. At first, she was uncertain, but eventually let her go. A long time had passed and she hadn't returned. Her dog was later found near the recreation center, but Erica was nowhere to be found, and she has not been seen or heard from since. Her fate and whereabouts remain unknown.[2]
Several large, extensive searches for Erica had been carried out by police and local volunteers in the surrounding areas; ground-penetrating radar technology was used in nearby wooded areas[3] and a pond near her elementary school was drained,[4] but all of these efforts were fruitless.
Investigation
[edit]Suspicion eventually fell on Christian Gabriel, who was reported to have been driving a van around the area and time that Erica went missing. In 2004, Gabriel confessed to hitting Erica with his van near the intersection of Glengarry Drive and Powhattan Place, then subsequently driving off with her dead body and burying it somewhere "in a shallow grave". He claimed to have been under the influence of drugs at the time.[5]
Gabriel led authorities to the location where he claims to have struck Erica, and later to Huffman Dam, where he claims to have buried her body. However, the following search efforts yielded no results. In 2005, Gabriel went to prison on charges of gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. He was released in 2011, at which point he relocated. Gabriel maintains that he cannot remember the exact location where he buried Erica's body.[6]
The case remains open and authorities continue to follow new leads and conduct new searches for Erica's remains.
References
[edit]- ^ "Bring Erica Home: The journey to find Erica Baker 24 years later". WDTN.com. February 6, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ Staff, WKEF News (February 7, 2024). "Big break in the case of a missing girl; prime suspect lives in Oregon". KPIC. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ "Part 3: Technology advances help in Erica Baker search, other cold cases". WDTN.com. February 8, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ "Divers search pond for Erica Baker". dayton-daily-news. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ "Part 2: Search to find Erica Baker 25 years later". WDTN.com. February 7, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ Gulden, Nathan Edwards, Bryn Caswell & Becky (July 5, 2022). "Missing Erica Baker: Exclusive video reveals search of Huffman Dam with Christian Gabriel". WKEF. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
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