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WWW.KENTDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010 2G WWW.KENTDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010 3G

ByFrancoOrdonezMcClatchyNewspapers

HICKORY,N.C.‚Hickory,N.C., po-liceon Tuesdayreleasedrecordings of twoemergency callsmade fromZahraBaker’shometheday the10-year-oldgirlwasreportedmissing.Thecallsshed newlighton whatZah-

ra’sparentsclaimhappenedOct.9, and

howan early-morning reand a phonyransomnote might havebeenlinkedtoherdisappearance.The Bakers’ description of events

suggeststhatZahramayhave beenkid-nappedwhileher fatherand stepmotherweredealingwithare inthebackyardoftheirHickoryhouse.Theyalsosaid thatkidnappers may

havetakenherby mistakeintheirattempttoactuallyabductthedaughterof Baker’sbossandlandlord,MarkCoffey.

“Idon’tknowif theyseta reintheyard tod istract usto goout, and theysnuckinthe door,”Bakersaidof possiblekidnappersin his911call.“Itappears theymayhavetakenmy

daughterinsteadofhis daughter.”Thereleaseof therecordingscameon

the10thdayof thesearchfor thelittlegirl

withfreckleswhowas hearingimpairedandlostpartofonelegto bonecancer.Thecasehas drawn international at-

tention.Newspapers in AustraliawhereZahra was bornhave beenpublishingdailyupdates.Investigators saytheybelieveZahra

isdeadandcontinuetoseekthe public’shelpin piecingtogether a timeline of eventssurroundingthe girl’sdisappear-

ance.ThelastpersonoutsideZahra’sfamilypolicecanconrmsawthegirlalivewasanemployeeat aHickoryfurniturestore,whoreportedseeingZahrashoppingwithherstepmotheronSept. 25.Zahra wasn’t reportedmissing until

twoweekslater.The rst 911 call from the Bakers

came around 5:30 a.m. thatSaturday,whenElisaBaker, Zahra’sstepmother,soundedanxiousas sheaskedfor help.

“Our back yard is onre,” sheto lddispatchers.“We havemulchpilesandwoodpilesbecausewe sellrewoodandstuff.”

Fireghtersandpoliceresponded,andwhile theyweretherefounda handwrit-tenransomnoteonthewindshieldoftheBakers’SUV parkedat thehouse.The

notewasaddressedto“Mr.Coffey”andsaid kidnappers had his daughterandwanted$1million.When police checked, they found

Coffey’sfamilywas unharmed.Thesecond911callcame fromZah-

ra’sfatherat1:58p.m.thatsameday.Hewaspoliteandcalmashespoketo

thedispatcher.“Hickorypolice,where isyour emer-

gency?”“Yeah , my daughter is missing ,”AdamBakersaid.“Whatis youraddress?”“21stAvenue Northwest. Thepolice

were outherelastn igh tovera reandransomnoteformy boss’sdaughter.Igotupa littlewhileago,andit appearstheytookmy daughter insteadof myboss’sdaughter.”He explained how someone had

pouredgasoline on a companyvehiclethathe parkedat h is house, and that i tmight havebeena diversionso kidnap-perscouldenter hishome.AdamBakertoldthedispatcherthat

maybethekidnapperswere confused.“I guessthey thought he (Coffey)

livesin thishouse”Baker said.Coffeyownsthehouse,rentedbythe

Bakers.AdamBakerworkedfor Coffeyat a

tree-trimmingbusinessthat hasa storagelotin BurkeCounty,N.C.‚a siteauthori-tieshave repeatedlysearchedforsignsof Zahra.Baker wenton totell thedispatcher

thathelast checkedonhisdaughterabout2:30a.m. thatday‚twelve hoursbeforemakinghis911call.

“Wehadallthatdramalastnight,”hesaid.“Andme andmywifewentbacktobed.Andmy daughteris,I think,comingintopuberty.So she’shittingthat brood-ingstage(chuckles).Sowe onlysee herwhenshewants something.”AdamBakerhas notbeenchargedin

connectionwithhis daughter’sdisappear-ance.Elisa Baker has beencharged with

felonyobstructionof justiceandis nowinjail.Shewasarrestedafterpolicesayshe

admittedwritingthe phonyransomnote,whichtheysay wasintendedto throwoff theinvestigationinto Zahra’sdisappear-ance.ElisaBakeris scheduledtoappearin

court Wednesday morningto requestareductionof her$40,000bond.

911 Calls Released inMissing Child Case

Allphotos byRobert Lahser/CharlotteObserver/MCT 

 Above:ShellieMoore,from left,JanetCoffey,andSherryRevisattendacandle-

lightvigilfor10-year-oldZahraClareBakeronWednesday,October13,2010

atEastHickoryBaptistChurchinHickory,NorthCarolina. Policeexpanded theirsearchfor themissinggirlanddrained

apondnearthetree-trimmingcompanywhereherfatherhasworked.

Right:Several hundredpeople gath-eredatEastHickoryBaptistChurchin

Hickory,NorthCarolinafor acandlelightvigilonWednesday,October13,2010,for10-year-oldZahraBaker,as police

expandedtheirsearchforthe missinggirlanddraineda pondnearthetree-trimming

companywhereherfatherhasworked.

 Above:JanetCoffey,left,andSherryReviscomforteach

otherduringa candlelightvigilatEastHickoryBaptistChurchinHickory,NorthCarolinaonWednesday, October13,2010,for10-year-oldZahraBaker.

Left:Several hundredpeoplegatheredatEastHickoryBap-tistChurchin Hickory,NorthCarolinafora candlelightvigilonWednesday, October13,2010,for10-year-oldZahraBaker,aspoliceexpandedtheirsearchforthe missinggirlanddraineda pondnearthetree-trimmingcompany whereherfatherhasworked.

Left:SeveralhundredpeoplegatheredatEastHickoryBaptistChurchinHickory,NorthCarolinafora candlelightvigilon Wednes-day,October13,2010,for 10-year-oldZahraBaker,aspoliceexpandedtheirsearchforthemissinggirlanddrainedapondnearthetree-trimmingcompanywhereherfatherhasworked.