Friday, March 19, 1999
Veteran investigator helping search for Erica
BY RANDY McNUTT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
KETTERING — For 30 years, Walter F. Carey of Beavercreek investigated fraud, homicides and deceitful contract negotiations. Now, the retired special agent for the Air Force is coordinating volunteers in the case of 9-year-old Erica Baker, who disappeared Feb. 7 near her home in Kettering.
About two weeks ago, Mr. Carey, 59, visited the Erica N. Baker Recover Center in a small shopping center in this suburban Montgomery County city. The operation is financed with donations.
“I got involved because I have grandchildren her age,” he said. “I came down here and told the volunteers that I'd like to help. They said, "Have we got a job for you.'”
Mr. Carey, 59, said he will “streamline operations so we can get the word out faster and have the right volunteers on the job.”
Erica's father, Greg Baker, said Mr. Carey's presence gives everyone added confidence.
“He's been more help than anybody knows,” Mr. Baker said. “He's an angel in disguise.”
Despite his experience as a criminal investigator, Mr. Carey will not help run the investigation of Erica's disappearance.
“One of the first things I did was call the detectives (working on the case) and tell them I could give any help they need,” he said. “But the center is not in the investigation business. Sometimes that's hard for me, being a retired cop, but the police department has its job.”
For years, Mr. Carey worked on investigations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. At his retirement ceremony last April, when he left as branch chief of economic and environmental investigations, Air Force officers described his career as illustrious, and applauded his dedication.
The Brockton, Mass., native grew up in Florida and entered the Air Force in 1956. For five years he served as a member of a B-52 lead crew, logging 1,500 hours of flying time, including many 24-hour missions patrolling the Soviet border.
In 1967, he entered the investigations field, and three years later arrived at Wright-Pat to work with intelligence units. He retired from the Air Force in 1979 as a master sergeant, then returned to the base as an investigator.
He was the lead agent on a “sting” operation that resulted in the discovery of a major theft ring operating within the Army-Air Force Exchange regional warehouse, according to the 1st Field Investigations Region at the base.
Mr. Carey also investigated the case of two infants who were thought to have been victims of sudden infant death syndrome, officers said. Both turned out to be homicides, for which the mother was convicted.
“I guess I didn't stay retired for long,” Mr. Carey said at the center. “But I'm not getting paid for this; none of the volunteers are. We want to help because we believe Erica is still out there. If I didn't really think that she's alive, I wouldn't be here.
“When I got here, I was utterly amazed at what the volunteers had accomplished. Erica's posters are displayed coast to coast. We get calls from all over the United States. I decided there was little I could do — other than give the center a fine-tuning — to improve the operation.”
This weekend, Mr. Carey will lead a search of the area near where Erica disappeared — only a few blocks from the center, 2280 E. Dorothy Lane. He hopes 300 volunteers will show up. They will meet at the center at 8 a.m. and search from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
“There are some places we haven't covered,” he said. “The snow has hampered our searches. If any evidence of Erica is located, we'll back away and call the police.”
Mr. Carey will also fill another role — as liaison between the center and the police, said Mary Glesige, a public affairs coordinator for the center.
“We want to keep Erica in the public's mind,” Mr. Carey said. “We don't want people to forget her.”
TO VOLUNTEER
Call the Erica N. Baker Recover Center at (937) 293-5984 to help search for the 9-year-old Kettering girl.
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