Tuesday, March 16, 1999
Ex-agent heads hunt for Erica
Keep missing girl in mind, Air Force retiree says
BY PERRY BROTHERS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Erica Baker
|
KETTERING, Ohio — A retired Air Force special agent has volunteered to head the search for Erica Baker, a 9-year-old who disappeared while walking her dog Feb. 7.
Walt Carey of Beaver Creek, Ohio, offered himself as a volunteer Friday, but was named director of the Erica Baker Recovery Center because of his criminal justice background.
Mr. Carey said he plans to fine-tune the center's operation while he holds the temporary position. The center, funded solely by donations, has 10-12 full-time volunteers and about 50 part-time volunteers, including searchers. It operates from donated space in the Woodlane Plaza Shopping Center at 2280 E. Dorothy Lane in Kettering.
“The purpose of the center is to keep Erica in the mind of the public,” Mr. Carey said. “We do this by going out and searching for her and through the media and through fliers, which have been distributed all the way from Ohio to California.”
The next organized search for Erica and any evidence in her disappearance is Saturday and Sunday.
“For this weekend, with the weather getting nice, we need all of the volunteers we can get,” Mr. Carey said. Bad weather prevented searches the past two weeks.
Mr. Carey spent more than 30 years conducting criminal investigations in the Air Force. Thoughts about the safety of his own grandchildren, who are about Erica's age, prompted Mr. Carey to volunteer.
Erica's parents, Misty and Greg Baker, are glad he did. “Having Mr. Carey at the center has relieved me of the worry that we are doing everything we can to get Erica home,” Ms. Baker said.
As the search continues, the center continues to receive daily tips, which are passed to the Kettering Police Department. And the Miami Valley Crime Stoppers reward has been raised to $11,000 for anyone with information that leads to the child's safe return.
TO HELP
To volunteer, donate money or offer a tip, call the Erica Baker Recovery Center at (937) 293-5984. Those with information about the case can call the Kettering Police Department at (937) 296-2570.
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