THE MISSING FILES: Erica Baker's dad seeks 'closure' as cops try to find body years after suspect released
THE MISSING FILES is a weekly special feature that looks into cases of missing people across America that have shattered communities and families. It delves into the known facts and the latest updates on these mysterious disappearances.
KETTERING, OHIO: The Bakers were shocked to find their Shih Tzu, Jamie, walking the street alone, after going for a walk with their daughter on February 7, 1999. Erica Baker, who was nine at the time, took Jamie out for a walk at about 3.30 pm in Kettering, which is a Dayton suburb about 55 miles north of Cincinnati. While Jamie was found, that was the last time Erica was seen.
Erica’s disappearance shook the community and her hometown of Kettering, Ohio. Hundreds of volunteers joined the multiple searches for the little girl and a 2.9 million-gallon retention pond was drained by law enforcement, but nothing was ever found. The story that gradually unfolded left Erica’s loved ones devastated. Her remains were never recovered, but it is presumed that the little girl is dead.
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'Erica was a daddy's girl'
More than two decades after Erica went missing, MEAWW spoke to her father, Greg Baker, about the developments in the case. “Erica was full of life, happy and jolly. She loved to play with her barbies and be a little girl, but she also loved to do outdoor stuff like camping and fishing and hiking,” Greg said. Erica was the youngest of four. She was the baby in the family. She was also a very humble child, the pride and joy of both my mother and father. Whenever I was with Erica, she was constantly by my side and always very interested in everything I was doing. She was definitely a daddy's girl. She has three older brothers,” he added.
What happened to Erica Baker?
Erica's disappearance is one of the most perplexing cases ever to have occurred. While the case remains unsolved, a man has already served time in prison for it. Within months of Erica's disappearance, Christian John Gabriel of Springfield was brought in for questioning as a potential witness.
Gabriel said he was driving the van that struck and killed Erica as she walked her dog. He said he and his then girlfriend, Jan Franks, did not want to involve police as they both had criminal records. Gabriel claimed that instead of seeking help, they put the little girl inside the van and drove off.
At the time, Gabriel told police three versions of what allegedly happened to Erica. In two of these versions, he claimed he was in the van that struck Erica, but the driver and the other people he said were inside the van changed between the accounts, and so did the girl's supposed burial spot. In the third version, he denied having any involvement in Erica's death.
Prosecutors reportedly did not have enough evidence to charge Gabriel with homicide. He was, however, given a six-year prison sentence after being charged with tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse, even though the body was never found. Public records say that after his release from prison in 2011, he moved to Florida, according to Cincinnati.com.
Since his 2004 confession, Gabriel revealed some locations where he said Erica's remains may be found. However, none of his clues ever turned up anything. In 2001, Jan Franks reportedly died of a drug overdose.
'Erica's mom and I went through a polygraph'
"I never directly communicated with Gabriel," Greg said. "During the time that Gabriel spent in prison, my then mother-in-law wrote him letters to get in his confidence. I learned about this only on the news. I was very upset when I found out that she had picked him up from prison when he was let out. I understand now that I was kept in the dark because had I known about this, it may have landed me in some sort of trouble. There was a conversation between Gabriel and her, but unfortunately nothing ever came out of it. It was a risky move but it hit a dead end."
Greg said detective Bob Green of the Kettering Police Department was one of the first detectives on the scene. This was one of their first big cases that went viral within a matter of weeks, he claimed. "They did everything they could to try to figure out what happened to my daughter and at one point, Erica's mom and I had to go through a polygraph. We were cleared," he said, adding that, "Kettering police did a great job".
'Need to put my daughter to rest'
"The community came out in support of Erica in droves. People stood by our side for the last 24 years. I had my own private search team go for several searches but we finally ran out of funding for the center and I ended up having to disband the majority of my team," Greg said.
"For years, I have looked for closure and I continue to do so," he said. "We are pretty certain that Gabriel knows exactly where they buried her body and with all the pressure we're trying to put on him, hopefully one day he will crack and decide to tell the truth. I need to find my daughter and put her to rest." Greg and Erica's mother, Misty, divorced in 1993. Erica’s case is reportedly still considered an active missing child investigation.
Anyone with information on the case can contact the Kettering Police Department at (937) 296-2570.