BABY SHANNON FOUND ALIVE:

BIZARRE TWIST WITH WOMAN CHARGED

Five days, and 3,770 man-hours devoted to finding little Shannon Dedrick, and police believe the people closest to the child knew exactly where she was the entire time. Through the investigation, police learned Mercer and Baker met on the night of October 30, 2009.  The pair talked about handing over the child and Mercer decided she was going to let Baker take permanent custody of the baby. Police say the women got together in the early morning hours of October 31, 2009 at the childs residence, thats when baby Shannon was handed over. What happened next, is really quite unbelievable. Shannons mom then filed a missing persons report at 11:23 a.m. on Halloween. An Amber Alert was issued and an entire community pulled together in an attempt to find the beautiful little girl. This is particularly upsetting because I know how many missing child cases need the help and attention of law enforcement, to pull investigators away from their duties for an alleged arranged kidnapping is extremely upsetting.

Investigators told me they called Baker in for questioning and asked if they could search her residence  she gave them consent. At 9:55 p.m. on November 4, 2009, baby Shannon was discovered inside a cedar box under Bakers bed. The box was only 2 foot by 3 foot, and there were other articles surrounding the box. Police on the scene rushed the child to the hospital where she was evaluated.  Thankfully, the baby is happy and healthy. Shannon is currently in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

 

According to police, Shannons mother, Crystina Lynn Mercer (25) and Susan Baker (50), were in on the kidnapping from the start.  Both women are charged (please see formal charges below – please keep in mind that all charged are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law). Investigators say they were suspicious of Baker early on because of her ties to another missing child in 1987. Paul Leonard Baker, 3, went missing on March 5,1987 from his home in Beaufort, South Carolina. According to the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office, when they heard the news about the charges against Susan Baker, they immediately sent one of the original investigators on Pauls case to Chipley, FL. He will work closely with state and local law enforcement to piece information together. The Beaufort County Sheriffs Office says:

“Susan and her 51-year old husband, James Arthur Baker, were the subjects of the investigation into the disappearance of their son, Paul, on March 5^th, 1987. Recent media attention into the FL child’s disappearance and recovery has sparked renewed interest in the Baker case. At this time there is no new or additional information available in regards to the missing person case of Paul Baker. As both investigations are still currently active, no information will be released that could potentially jeopardize the course or outcome of either investigation.”

Paul Leonard Baker was only 3-years-old when he went missing from his home in South Carolina, and Susan was the last person to see the child.  If you have any information on where Paul Leonard Baker could be, please call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:  1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)

According to an official police press release from Washington County, these are the official charges for Baker and Mercer:

• Neglect of a child with aggravated circumstances – 2^nd degree felony
• Interference with child custody – 3^rd degree felony
• Filing a false report regarding a missing child – 1^st degree misdemeanor
• Filing a false report of a crime – 1^st degree misdemeanor
• Contributing to the delinquency of a child – 1^st degree misdemeanor

Mercer, the child’s mother, was charged with:

• Interference with child custody – 3^rd degree felony
• Desertion of a child – 3^rd degree felony
• Filing a false report regarding a missing child – 1^st degree misdemeanor
• Filing a false report of a crime – 1^st degree misdemeanor
• Contributing to the delinquency of a child – 1^st degree misdemeanor

Tags: amber alert, mercer, missing children, paul leonard baker, Shannon Dedrick, susan baker

This entry was posted on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 8:35 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.