Saturday, February 13, 1999
Task force calls off search for girl
Police, family to continue hunt
BY JANICE MORSE and SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MISSING: ERICA BAKER
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 Erica Baker is 9 years old, 3 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 65 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink rain jacket, a pink Winnie-the-Pooh sweatshirt, blue jeans and white tennis shoes. She has blond hair and hazel eyes.
Information about Erica has been posted with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at: www.missingkids.com.
Anyone with information may call the Center at (800) 843-5678 or the Kettering Police Department at (937) 296-2555 or (937) 296-2570.
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KETTERING, Ohio — After five grueling days of scouring 146 square miles for 9-year-old Erica Baker, officials called off the search Friday afternoon.
They disbanded the Miami Valley Urban Search and Rescue Task Force after searching a 6-mile radius from where Erica disappeared Sunday. That's the standard FBI procedure in abduction cases, said Scott Hall, task force spokesman.
However, a few members of the task force continued Friday night searching the Germantown Metro Park with their dogs trained to pick up the scent of cadavers.
A separate unit will stay at the park for several days to follow up on the scent of a human body that dogs hit upon Thursday night in the search for Erica.
Police think that scent is unrelated to Erica's disappearance.
“I doubt at this point (the scent) will be related to this case,” Mr. Hall said. It's possible the unit could find another body, he said.
Police began searching the park after a custodian found a pink Winnie-the-Pooh sweat shirt similar to the one Erica was reported to be wearing Sunday when she disappeared while walking her dog in Kettering, about 25 miles away from the Germantown park. But the Bakers said it was not their daughter's clothing.
Although the task force called off its search, Kettering police will continue looking for Erica.
“We were extremely disappointed we were unable to come up with a situation” that ended positively, Mr. Hall said.
Kettering Police Chief James O'Dell said the department will focus on the criminal part of the investigation, which includes interviewing and following up on leads. Police reit erated Friday that family members are not suspects in the case.
“We certainly don't think it's a runaway,” Chief O'Dell said. “We are looking at it as an abduction.”
As water rescue crews spent all day Friday using dogs, sonar and grappling hooks to search the murky-brown waters of Twin Creek, Erica's grandfather, Mike Schmidt, watched from a distance.
“We truly believe the same thing we felt about the (Kettering Recreation Center) pond: There's a 99.9 percent chance she's not in there, because we believe she's alive,” Mr. Schmidt said as he stood atop the Germantown Dam, overlooking the creek. “I believe in God. I believe God is going to bring her back to us.”
About 4:30 p.m. Friday, crews packed up and left the area. Lt. Larry Head of the Five Rivers MetroParks Rangers said searchers had no plans to revisit the site.
Since Erica disappeared, 367 law enforcement personnel have searched for her, putting in 4,665 hours. That includes 35 dogs and 10 horses, helicopters and boats. In addition, about 100 volunteers have passed out fliers and cut pink and yellow ribbons.
“There's disappointment that Erica has not been found safe and sound and that she's not at home with her family,” Chief O'Dell said.
Erica's father, Greg Baker, said even though the official search is over, his is not. He plans to organize about 300 volunteers into search groups with the help of the Polly Klaas Foundation, based in California. He also hopes to set up a headquarters.
The Fox TV show America's Most Wanted will feature a segment on Erica's case tonight, Mike Molnar, a spokesman for the show, said Friday.
Erica's disappearance also is getting widespread exposure on the Internet. The Web site of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, www.missingkids.com, typically gets 2 million “hits” a day, said Julia Cartwright, spokeswoman for the nonprofit, federally funded organization.
The center is handling only about 47 open cases that are similar to Erica's, meaning that they involve girls ages 9-11, with probable foul play and a probable nonfamily abduction, Ms. Cartwright said.
So a situation like Erica's is rare, and the chances of it happening to other young girls are statistically slim, Ms. Cartwright said.
The family and volunteers also are turning to the Internet for help. They've established an e-mail address for tips: erica@ciscom.net
“I just need to find the answer,” Mr. Baker said. “I need an answer, either/or. I just need an answer.”
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