HICKORY, N.C. (AP) — A sad and angry crowd of hundreds gathered in a western North Carolina town to remember a disabled girl whose remains were found more than a month after she was reported missing.
A candlelight vigil in Hickory on Tuesday marked what would have been Zahra Baker’s 11th birthday. A vigil also was held in the township of Giru, Australia, where the girl lived before moving to the U.S.
Court documents say her jailed stepmother, Elisa Baker, told authorities the girl was dismembered after she died.
Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins spoke at the vigil, but not about the investigation. He talked about Zahra’s brave struggle with cancer that left her with hearing aids and a prosthetic leg, which authorities also have found.
Elisa Baker has been charged with obstructing justice in the case.
