Shannon Lea Dedrick Seven-month-old

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Police Searching for Missing Florida Baby

Monday, November 02, 2009


Shannon Lea Dedrick

Florida authorities were searching for a baby girl missing on the Panhandle on Monday.

Seven-month-old Shannon Lea Dedrick was last seen on at her Chipley home on Saturday. She was described as 2-feet tall and 11 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Her parents reported her missing from their home at 11:23 a.m. on Saturday. Shannon is believed to have disappeared between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

Police were on the scene within minutes of receiving the missing child report.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued the missing child alert Sunday night.

About 75 search and rescue personnel as well as K-9 teams and volunteers from local fire departments were working an extensive ground search.

"We would like to thank those who have contacted law enforcement officers with tips in reference to baby Shannon," said Sheriff Haddock.

"All tips are being thoroughly investigated and I would ask that you continue to contact our office at (850) 638-6111 if you have any information concerning this missing child."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,571125,00.html?test=latestnews

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Update: Person of interest ID'd in missing baby case

By JAY FELSBERG • PANAMA CITY NEWS HERALD • November 2, 2009

1:30 p.m.

CHIPLEY — Investigators said Monday they have identified a person of interest in the case of a missing 7-month Washington County baby.

About 75 volunteers and officers still were searching Monday for the missing child, Shannon Lea Dedrick, who authorities said went missing between 3 and 11 a.m. Saturday and has been the subject of an search since then.

A press conference has been scheduled for 4 p.m.

“We’re not leaving any stone unturned,” Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said. “We’re even checking every Dumpster, residential garbage cans, and bags of garbage, ditches and culverts.

Haddock said at this point nothing leads to evidence of an abduction. The name of the person of interest has not been released.

“The child couldn’t walk away; the child couldn’t crawl away,” Haddock said.

Haddock said he could not release the names of the child’s parents, and no phone number under Dedrick was listed in the local phone book. The family’s home, at 793C Brown Street, sits about 100 yards off the road and was sealed off by deputies looking for evidence. The address is just over the Chipley city limits in Washington County, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is lead agency in the search.

The “arm-to-ground search” has covered about a half-mile radius around the home as of midday Monday, and a Sheriff’s Office news release indicated the coverage area was expanding by the hour.

Haddock said Monday morning the search included 75 personnel from Liberty, Bay and Gulf search and rescue organizations, and has included officers from the Chipley Police Department, Graceville Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, in addition to deputies from WCSO.

“Cadaver dogs and specific-scent dogs from Chattahoochee Corrections and other institutions are also being used,” Haddock said.

Firefighters from various Washington County departments also are aiding in the search.

The search-and-rescue volunteers use the global positioning system as part of their search procedure.

Saturday’s search extended until 1:30 a.m. Sunday and resumed at 7 a.m. Sunday. The search was ongoing Monday.

About 1,300 tips were called in when the missing child alert was first posted Saturday, authorities reported.

“We would like to thank those who have contacted law enforcement officers with tips in reference to baby Shannon,” Haddock said in a news release. “All tips are being thoroughly investigated, and I would ask that you continue to contact our office at (850) 638-6111 if you have any information concerning this missing child.”

News Herald Day City Editor Will Glover contributed to this story.

12:43 p.m.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a call just after 11 a.m. Saturday in reference to a missing child.

Shannon Lea Dedrick, 7 months, 11 lbs in weight, 24 inches in height was reported missing by her parents from their home in Chipley. Shannon was believed to have gone missing between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Deputies responded to the home and within minutes both FDLE and Bay County Sheriff’s Office were brought in to assist. A missing child alert was initiated, sending approximately 1300 calls to residents in the region.

Approximately 75 search and rescue personnel from Liberty, Gulf and Bay counties, as well as K-9 teams and volunteers from local fire departments have worked an extensive ground search effort. They have been searching continuously except for a short break between 1:30 a.m and 7 a.m. Sunday.

The arm-to-arm ground search has covered approximately a half-mile radius around the home and deputies are expanding that area each hour. Investigators with Washington County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of investigators with FDLE, Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Chipley Police Department, Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and Graceville Police Department are currently working an investigation into any and all leads at this time.

“We would like to thank those who have contacted law enforcement officers with tips in reference to baby Shannon” states Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock. “All tips are being thoroughly investigated and I would ask that you continue to contact our office at 638.6111 if you have any information concerning this missing child.”

Missing child alert

An endangered missing child alert has been issued by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Shannon Dedrick, born March 11, 2009, was last seen at her residence in Chipley on Saturday.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office at (850)638-6111

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/2...sing-baby-case

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Search Continues For Missing Chipley Baby

Posted: 6:43 PM Nov 2, 2009

Authorities are continuing their search for a missing Chipley girl. 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick disappeared from her parents home on Brown Street on Saturday morning. Several agencies have joined in the search efforts, which has continued around-the-clock.
Authorities are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Authorities are continuing their search for a missing Chipley girl.

7-month-old Shannon Dedrick disappeared from her parents home on Brown Street on Saturday morning.

Several agencies have joined in the search efforts, which has continued around-the-clock.

Authorities are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Search and rescue teams scoured several areas near the Dedricks home on Brown Street, checking abandoned homes, wooded areas and trash bins on Tuesday.

"The ground search is the primary, we have dumpster dove every dumpster in the city limits of Chipley, we have turned over every garbage can and taken it apart in that area and any leads we might get that lead us in the city limits of Chipley and Washington County we're following up on," says Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock.

Authorities say 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick disappeared between the hours of 3am to 11am on Saturday morning.

They say she was last seen in the custody of her parents at their Brown Street home in Chipley.

Lisa Blaylock and Tanya Wilt live next to the Dedricks and recall how Shannon's mother first approached them about her disappearance.

"She's like 'have you guys seen anybody pull in our driveway today?'"

"We're like, 'no, why?'"

"Cause my baby's missing...at first we thought it was a joke but just as plain as I'm saying it to you, just 'my baby's missing.'"

Both women say Shannon's father was very upset about her disappearance but the mother didn't seem to be.

"Very happy baby, never cried, they've lived there two months, we've never heard the baby cry on time. It's just very sad, very, very sad."

There are reports that the mother allegedly confessed to killing the baby and burying her in the woods near a landfill.

But authorities won't confirm those stories.

"We're not going to go into specifics about what she may or may not have said or not said but we're not doing any digging at the old landfill. The old landfill now is being a staging area for the ground teams."

Authorities say they do have a person of suspicion but would not elaborate on any details or if Shannon was abducted.

"We're not ruling that out but at this time, we don't have that indicator that we have an abduction. But we can't say that we're positive that's not happened."

Haddock also refused to comment on whether or not he believed Shannon was still alive, only saying they are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

And so are her neighbors.

"I just hope she's alive."

"That's our only hope. Before it was for the parents' comfort, now we just hope the baby's ok."

Shannon Dedrick is about 24 inches tall and weighs about 11 pounds.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office at (850)-638-6111

http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/68775902.html

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No Indication of Aduction In Missing Child Case (UPDATE)

Shannon Dedrick has been missing from her home on Brown Street in Chipley since around noon on Saturday.

Monday November 2nd, 2009

by Kathy Foster


Pictured above at Nov. 2 press conference l-r) Jake Etheridge, FDLE; Bobby Haddock, Sheriff; and Tommy Ford, FDLE

In a 3 p.m. press conference Monday Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock announced the search and rescue mission directed toward locating 7-month-old Shannon Lea Dedrick (left) has turned up no strong clues, but he added that close to 100 people are still scouring the area around her home looking for her.

A large number of vehicles are located in a staging area at the east end of South Boulevard where equipment and manpower could be seen coming and going throughout the day on Monday.



According to Haddock, the infant was discovered missing from the family residence about 11:00 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31st. He said a short time later the Washington County Sheriff's Office received a call concerning the missing infant. The mobile home is located on property belonging to Debra McGhee on Brown Street.

At Monday's press conference Haddock said once his office became involved Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Bay County Sheriff's Department were called in for assistance.



K-9 units initially searched a 500-600 yard area around the residence; however, Haddock said that perimeter has widened each hour as no trace of the baby has been found.

(The photo at the right shows the lane leading back to the residence occupied by Shannon's parents Christina Mercer and Rusty Dedrick.)

According to Haddock, the child was in the bedroom with her parents at the time of her disappearance which is projected to have taken place between 3:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 31st.



Haddock said on Monday that a Team Adam had flown in to join the search effort.

The Sheriff permitted some questions at Monday's press conference, but indicated that he would not answer any questions directed about any possible family involvement in the disappearance and refused to go into specifics about the investigation.

Haddock did say his office has no indication of an abduction in the case.

When asked if polygraph tests had been administered to anyone involved in the case, Haddock wouldn't answer.

Asked about Shannon's parents having any problems with law enforcement, Haddock said neither had records.

Asked why the child's parents were not present at Monday's press conference, Haddock said they were upset and are presently counting on the Sheriff's Department to talk on behalf of the family.

The investigation into the disappearance of Shannon Dedrick has reached all the way to Texas where Shannon's maternal grandmother received a visit from law enforcement officers wanting to know if she had seen the baby.

http://fosterfollynews.com/news/2009...ssingChild.php

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What happened to baby Shannon Dedrick?

November 3, 10:31 AMSF True Crime History ExaminerJason Taylor

A massive search and rescue operation involving several counties in Florida is underway for a missing baby girl. The parents of 7-month-old Shannon Lea Dedrick, of Chipley, FL, reported her missing at 11:23 a.m. on Saturday.

The police say the parents have indicated that the baby was in the same room as the parents, and could have been abducted between the hours of 3 a.m. and 11 a.m.

At least two neighbors are reporting that they saw a grey van near the missing girl’s residence the evening before she went missing. They said it’s the same van they have seen there numerous times over the past couple of months.

Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock did say investigators are looking at a “person of suspicion,” but would not elaborate on who that person may be. Whether or not the person is related to the grey van seen at the residence has yet to be determined.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is aiding the Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.

Click here for baby Shannon’s poster from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

http://www.examiner.com/x-28599-SF-T...hannon-Dedrick

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Police Have 'Person of Interest' in Florida Baby's Disappearance, but Still No Sign of Infant

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Police have identified a "person of interest" in the case of a missing Florida baby girl, but a frantic search has so far turned up no sign of the 7-month-old infant.

Shannon Lea Dedrick was last seen at her parents' mobile home in the rural Florida Panhandle town of Chipley when her mother and father went to bed about 3 a.m. Saturday.

Authorities believe the baby disappeared sometime before 8 a.m.

Saturday. Her parents reported her missing at 11:23 a.m., the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. It wasn't clear why it apparently took more than three hours to alert police about the child's disappearance.

The mystery of Shannon's whereabouts intensified throughout the day Monday. Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock revealed that investigators did have a "person of interest" in mind — whom he declined to name — but added that there had been no sign of a kidnapping, NWFDailyNews.com reported.

The baby girl's parents also were not identified and were not speaking to the media. Haddock told reporters they hadn't had any substantial encounters with police in the past, according to the Web site.

Authorities did an exhaustive search for the baby over the weekend and on Monday. They were continuing their efforts Tuesday.

"We’re not leaving any stone unturned,” Haddock said Monday afternoon, according to NWFDailyNews.com.

Searchers combed through Dumpsters, residential garbage cans, bags of trash and ditches, according to Haddock.

“The child couldn’t walk away; the child couldn’t crawl away," he said.
The Florida Department of Children and Families is assisting in the investigation.

“We don’t know where the baby could be,” said agency spokeswoman Barbara Ash, according to NWFDailyNews.com. “It’s heartbreaking. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that they find her.”

Baby Shannon is described as being 2 feet long and 11 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Washington County Sheriff's Office at (850) 638-6111.
More coverage from NWFDailyNews.com.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,571331,00.html

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Search Continues For Baby Shannon (UPDATE)

Shannon Dedrick has been missing from her home on Brown Street in Chipley since around noon on Saturday.

Tuesday November 3rd, 2009

November 3rd at 5:00 p.m.

Shannon's maternal relatives are asking that the public direct their attention to helping locate the 7-month-old infant rather than making unkind comments about the baby and her parents.

In a telephone interview this afternoon they said they will be more than willing to grant interviews when the disappearance has been resolved, but they aren't willing to do so until that time.

They acknowledged they have been contacted by the 'Nancy Grace Show' seeking comments on the investigation, but don't feel it is appropriate at this time for them to comment.

This news outlet was also contacted by the show for an interview, but was referred to our web site. Comments concerning the ongoing investigation will be left up the Washington County Sheriff's Department.

Members of Christina Mercer's family are expected in Chipley later tonight and will be meeting with officials from the Sheriff's Department

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Nov. 3, 2009

Press Release From Washington County Sheriff's Office

The ground search effort for missing Shannon Lea Dedrick resumed again at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 3rd, with over 50 search and rescue personnel from Liberty, Gulf and Bay County.

Search efforts included 8 K-9 teams on the ground and helicopter assistance from both Jackson and Calhoun County. Local residents are urged to remember that helicopters will be in the area late into the evening as part of the continued search effort.

Sheriff’s Offices from several surrounding counties, Team ADAM, an extension of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the FBI are actively assisting with the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of baby Shannon.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the media for their extraordinary efforts in the dissemination of this information which has led to 100’s of tips nationwide” states Sheriff Haddock. “We are so grateful for the public’s response to help find baby Shannon and the resources from both neighboring agencies and volunteers in this massive search effort.”

While there have been no significant developments in the case, investigators are working each and every tip that comes in and would ask the community to continue to call 850.638.6111 with any information that may be relevant to this case.

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by Kathy Foster

Air and ground searches are continuing as law enforcement personnel expand their search for the missing 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick.

Mounted patrols, foot patrols and a helicopter could be seen Tuesday morning searching areas expanding from the intial search being made around the 793C Brown Street address in Chipley where the young white female infant disappeared from the home where her parents were living last Saturday.

According to the Washington County Sheriff's Department they are still in the search & rescue mode.

In a 3 p.m. press conference Monday Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock announced the search and rescue mission directed toward locating 7-month-old Shannon Lea Dedrick (left) has turned up no strong clues, but he added that close to 100 people are still scouring the area around her home looking for her.

A large number of vehicles are located in a staging area at the east end of South Boulevard where equipment and manpower could be seen coming and going throughout the day on Monday.

According to Haddock, the infant was discovered missing from the family residence (shown at the left) about 11:00 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31st. He said a short time later the Washington County Sheriff's Office received a call concerning the missing infant. The mobile home is located on property belonging to Debra McGhee on Brown Street.

At Monday's press conference Haddock said once his office became involved Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Bay County Sheriff's Department were called in for assistance.

K-9 units initially searched a 500-600 yard area around the residence; however, Haddock said that perimeter has widened each hour as no trace of the baby has been found.

(The photo at the right shows the lane leading back to the residence occupied by Shannon's parents Christina Mercer and Rusty Dedrick.)

According to Haddock, the child was in the bedroom with her parents at the time of her disappearance which is projected to have taken place between 3:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 31st.

Haddock said on Monday that a Team ADAM had flown in to join the search effort.

The Sheriff permitted some questions at Monday's press conference, but indicated that he would not answer any questions directed about any possible family involvement in the disappearance and refused to go into specifics about the investigation.

Haddock did say his office has no indication of an abduction in the case.

When asked if polygraph tests had been administered to anyone involved in the case, Haddock wouldn't answer.

Asked about Shannon's parents having any problems with law enforcement, Haddock said neither had records.

Asked why the child's parents were not present at Monday's press conference, Haddock said they were upset and are presently counting on the Sheriff's Department to talk on behalf of the family.

The investigation into the disappearance of Shannon Dedrick has reached all the way to Texas where Shannon's maternal grandmother received a visit from law enforcement officers wanting to know if she had seen the baby.

http://fosterfollynews.com/news/2009...ssingChild.php

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NewsChannel 7 Confirms The Names of Missing Chipley Baby's Parents

There are a few new details tonight in the case of a 7-month old baby, missing from her Chipley home. NewsChannel 7 has confirmed the names of Shannon Dedrick's parents, Christina Mercer and Rusty Dedrick.

Posted:
9:05 PM Nov 3, 2009

Reporter:

Vanessa Nguyen

There are a few new details tonight in the case of a 7-month old baby, missing from her Chipley home.

NewsChannel 7 has confirmed the names of Shannon Dedrick's parents, Christina Mercer and Rusty Dedrick.

Shannon disappeared from the home sometime Saturday morning.

We're standing here near the Dedrick's residence in Chipley where authorities have now removed the crime scene tape from their home.

However, we can no longer go back there because it is considered private property.

But we are learning more and more about Shannon Dedrick's parents as the search continues for her both on-the-ground and in-the-air.

Choppers circled for hours high-above-the-sky on Tuesday, hoping to find anything that would lead them to 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick.

On the ground, several different teams combed through debris, others used search dogs, some searched on horseback.

"It's kinda scary, whether it's family or a friend involved, it really doesn't matter, it's just the fact that it happened and nobody even knows yet so it's really scary," says resident Lisa France.

There are still many unanswered questions surrounding Shannon Dedrick's disappearance.

Investigators say she disappeared from her Brown Street home between the hours of 3am to 11am on Sunday.

NewsChannel 7 has learned she was last seen in the custody of her parents, Christina Mercer and Rusty Dedrick.

We spoke with Shannon's great aunt, Lynda Padgett, who says they have also been left in the dark about what's happening.

"The clock is ticking away and she's just an innocent little child who you know, just deserves better."

She also says she's not sure if Christina would hurt Shannon.

"I think if Tina did something then she was definitely not in her right mind when she did it. I really can't say that I think or don't think that she's capable of it."

But some people believe it is possible.

"Not the father, I wouldn't think the father, no, not at all."

"He's too heartbroken and distraught."

"I wouldn't know what to say about the mom but not the father."

Once again, Shannon Dedrick is about 24 inches tall and weighs about 11 pounds.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office at (850)-638-6111.

http://www.wjhg.com/news/headlines/69002287.html

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Missing Florida Baby Investigation Now Focused on Sitter, Who Wrote Warning Letter to Governor

Wednesday, November 04, 2009


The baby sitter of a missing Florida infant is now being investigated in 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick's disappearance, authorities said Wednesday.

Sitter Susan Baker sent a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist months before baby Shannon vanished pleading with him to save the little girl from her drug-abusing parents.

Authorities confirmed to the News Herald Wednesday that they are investigating Baker to see if she is the same Susan Baker implicated in a 26-year-old missing child case that never has been solved.

They're also looking at whether Baker was involved in Shannon's disappearance because of similarities between that and the 1987 cold case in South Carolina, the News Herald reported.

On Tuesday, Baker told the News Herald she "loved" little Shannon and produced a letter she wrote to the Florida governor asking him to intervene in what she said was the parents' abuse of the baby girl.

Investigators at the Washington County Sheriff's Office are now trying to find out whether she is the same Susan Baker suspected of involvement in the March 1987 disappearance of 6-year-old Paul Baker in Beaufort, S.C. The boy has never been found.

A summary of the case provided to the News Herald by The Center for Missing and Exploited Children shows that Paul's stepmother was named Susan Baker, the wife of his father James.

The couple were arrested in connection with the boy's disappearance and were later charged with aggravated assault and battery for allegedly severely beating him before he vanished March 5, 1987, according to the documents.

"Susan Baker told police she put him down for a nap that day and returned to find him missing," the synopsis says. "The Deputies and police searched the area around their home for several days but found no trace of the little boy.

"After the disappearance, the couple's 6-year-old daughter was removed by state social workers who discovered broken bones and sores on her body."

Susan Baker was convicted of beating the little girl and sentenced to 10 years in prison, the case documents say.

The Florida Department of Children and Families says it investigated Shannon's mother and father after the August complaint stemming from Baker's letter, and workers have had "a lot of involvement" with the family.

But DCF Secretary George Sheldon says investigators did not find legal grounds to take the infant away.

Shannon was last seen by her parents at their home early Saturday morning.

Searchers have concentrated on the woods surrounding the mobile home, in a remote part of north Florida near the town of Chipley.

More coverage at NewsHerald.com.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,...est=latestnews

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Missing Fla. Baby Found Alive Under Baby Sitter's Bed

Thursday, November 05, 2009

CHIPLEY, Fla. — A baby missing for five days was found alive and well under her baby sitter's bed, and Florida authorities said Thursday they plan to charge the sitter, her husband and the child's mother.

Investigators found 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick in a box tucked under a bed surrounded by items intended to hide the child at Susan Elizabeth Baker's home near Chipley, a rural Panhandle town, Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said in an interview early Thursday. The baby was placed in protective custody.

"Statistically speaking this should not have ever happened, that we found this child alive, especially after so many days. Time was against us," Haddock said.

Shannon was taken to a hospital but appeared healthy, Haddock said.
"It was very emotional for us, because once got her to the hospital, we called our wives and every one of us was crying. Grown men crying. It's just such a relief," he said. "We've had missing children cases in the past, but nothing like this."

Haddock said deputies were working to charge Baker, her husband James Arthur Baker and the child's mother, Chrystina Lynn Mercer. He wouldn't provide details about the possible charges but said more information would be released later Thursday. Authorities don't believe the child's father, James Russell Dedrick Jr., was involved but the case is still under investigation, Haddock said. He said Susan Baker and the father are related.

Haddock confirmed that Baker was the Susan Elizabeth Baker cited in court records as being convicted of assault in South Carolina in 1987, and questioned but not indicted in 2000 for a 3-year-old child's disappearance, also in 1987. He confirmed that Baker wrote an e-mail to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's office in August, pleading for the governor to help Shannon Dedrick.

"And my response is, 'We saved the child, Ms. Baker," Haddock said.
Court documents released Wednesday showed that child welfare workers in Florida began looking into allegations Shannon was being abused less than two weeks after she was born.

Her parents reported her missing around 11 a.m. Saturday. They told authorities that they had not seen her since about 3 a.m.

About 100 law enforcement agents and others scoured the woods around the couple's home, Haddock said. Investigators contacted the Bakers again on Wednesday and they allowed them into their home, Haddock said.

"They gave us consent to search the home and found the baby in a box under a bed, with stuff pushed around the box to hide the baby," he said.

Court records released Wednesday said investigators frequently went to the infant's home from August to late September and reported that both parents used marijuana and kept a messy home.

But investigators reported that Shannon seemed to be cared for and repeatedly cited that the risk to the baby was "intermediate." In September, an investigator said a physician determined that the child was healthy and expressed "no concerns regarding the baby."

Court records show Elizabeth Baker was charged in South Carolina with assault and battery with intent to kill and assault and batter of a high and aggravated nature in 1987. After being convicted, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The sentence was suspended to 80 days.

She was extradited to South Carolina from Chipley in 2000, and charged in the disappearance of 3-year-old Paul Leonard Baker. The child was never found, according to the Beaufort County, S.C., sheriff's office.

Police reports don't indicate the child's possible relation.

A sheriff's investigator from Beaufort County was sent to Florida to assist in the missing child case, sheriff's spokeswoman Robin McIntosh said Wednesday.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,571888,00.html

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Mother and Aunt Charged in Disappearance of Baby Shannon

11/05/09 - 12:28 PM



Washington County, Fla:
At a news conference Thursday morning Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock announced charges against the mother and aunt of 7-month-old Shannon Lea Dedrick. The announcement came five days after Shannon was reported missing and just hours after she was found alive. Sheriff Haddock says the investigation was like an old southern saying, it was like pulling hen’s teeth. The case was solved through grunt work by all law enforcement involved.

Sherrif Haddock says statistics will show and prove that this should not happen but this was a successful event. Sheriff Haddock had tears in his eyes at an early Thursday morning news conference where he presented baby Shannon alive. He again fought back the tears later Thursday morning in a second news conference as he discussed the 2 x 3 cedar box Shannon was found in.

Shannon’s mother and aunt were taken into custody Wednesday night after Shannon was reportedly found in a box under the bed of Susan Baker, her aunt and babysitter. A search was conducted at Baker’s home around 8:00 p.m. Shannon was found just before 10:00 p.m. by Investigator Kenny Brock with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorites believe she had been closed up inside the box for 12 hours. She did not have a bottle in the box. Inside the shut box with Shannon was only baking powder to cover the smell of a dirty diaper and a blanket that was wrapped around her. Investigators say Baker was using the box to hide Shannon when authorities were coming to the home.

Sheriff Haddock says Shannon was fed and in good condition but was rushed to Northwest Florida Communty Hospital to be checked out. That’s when he says several of his officers began calling their wives and crying. She is doing well at this hour. The Department of Children and Families will determine who gets custody of Shannon. Several family members tell News 13 that they would be happy to care for her.

Investigators say that Shannon’s mother, Chrystina Mercer, arranged to give Shannon to Baker on Friday. They believe the exchange took place at the mailbox at the end of Mercer’s drive on Brown Street in Chipley around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Arraignments for Mercer and Baker will be held Thursday afternoon at the Washington County Courthouse.

Mercer faces the following charges:
Interference with child custody, 3rd degree felony
Desertion of a child, 3rd degree felony
False report regarding a missing child, 1st degree misdemeanor
False report of a crime, 1st degree misdemeanor
Contributing to delinquency of a child, 1st degree misdemeanor

Baker faces the following charges:
Neglect of a child with aggravated circumstances, 2nd degree felony

Interference with child custody, 3rd degree felony
False report regarding a missing child, 1st degree misdemeanor
False report of a crime, 1st degree misdemeanor
Contributing to delinquency of a child, 1st degree misdemeanor

Hours after the reported exchange at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Shannon was reported missing by her mother. Since that time rescue crews from across the Panhandle and nation searched desperately for baby Shannon. Sheriff Haddock says around 3,770 rescue man hours were logged. Law enforcement and search and rescue crews from from Washington, Liberty, Gulf and Bay Counties assisted. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Corrections and FBI also gave aid in the case.

Sheriff Haddock says Mercer and Baker were persons of interest in the case from the beginning because they were two of the three people to last see the child since Friday. Shannon’s father and Baker’s step-brother, Rusty Dedrick, was also one of the last to see Shannon but authorities say he was not involved in the arrangement between Mercer and Baker. He also says Baker ridculed their investigation never knowing she was under the radar.

Susan Baker’s husband, James, was taken into custody Wednesday night, but he was released around 3:00 a.m. Thursday morning. He is not facing any charges at this time. Sheriff Haddock says they are still working with the State Attorney’s Office to determine if any charges will be filed. He did say that James Baker was not invovled in the agreement between Mercer and Susan Baker.

This is not the first time that the Bakers have been involved in a missing child case. Their 3-year-old son, Paul, was reported missing back in 1987 from Beaufort County, South Carolina. The Bakers were extradited from Washington County to face a grand jury in connection with the crime in 2000, but they were not indicted. Sheriff Haddock says they become aware of this information on Saturday while conducting their initial investigation background checks.

News Release
Two Charged in Disappearance of Missing Baby Shannon Dedrick

For Immediate Release
November 5, 2009

Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock today announces the arrest of Susan Baker, 50, and Crystina Lynn Mercer, 25, both of Chipley, in the disappearance of seven-month-old Shannon Dedrick. Baker, the child’s babysitter and half-sister to the child’s father, was charged with:

• Neglect of a child with aggravated circumstances – 2nd degree felony

• Interference with child custody – 3rd degree felony

• Filing a false report regarding a missing child – 1st degree misdemeanor

• Filing a false report of a crime – 1st degree misdemeanor

• Contributing to the delinquency of a child – 1st degree misdemeanor

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

• Interference with child custody – 3rd degree felony

• Desertion of a child – 3rd degree felony

• Filing a false report regarding a missing child – 1st degree misdemeanor

• Filing a false report of a crime – 1st degree misdemeanor

• Contributing to the delinquency of a child – 1st degree misdemeanor

Investigators learned that on the night of Oct. 30 Baker and Mercer agreed to allow Baker to take permanent custody of the baby. The two arranged to meet at 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 31 at Mercer’s residence for Mercer to give the child to Baker. Mercer later reported the child missing at 11:23 a.m.

Shannon Dedrick was safely located at 9:55 p.m. last night at Baker’s residence located at 3395 Orange Hill Road in Chipley after Baker gave investigators consent to search the residence. The baby was found in a 2-foot by 3-foot wooden box under a bed in Baker’s home.

The baby was taken to Northwest Florida Community Hospital where she was evaluated. The child is currently in the care of Florida Department of Children and Families.

Susan Baker’s husband, James Baker, was detained last night but has since been released.

Baker and Mercer were booked into the Washington County Jail.

Sheriff Haddock thanks the following agencies for their assistance on the investigation: rescue personnel from Liberty, Gulf and Bay County Sheriff’s Offices; K-9 teams from Klass Kids, Florida State Hospital, Gulf Correctional, and Southwest TANSAR; law enforcement personnel from Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, FBI, Team ADAM, an extension of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Office of the State Attorney, 14th Judicial Circuit, Bay, Calhoun, Jackson, Gulf, and Holmes County Sheriff’s Offices, Chipley and Graceville Police Departments, Florida Department of Corrections, Bay County Mounted Posse and the Salvation Army.

Sheriff Haddock thanks the following agencies for their assistance on the investigation: rescue personnel from Liberty, Gulf and Bay County Sheriff’s Offices; K-9 teams from Klass Kids, Florida State Hospital, Gulf Correctional, and Southwest TANSAR; law enforcement personnel from Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, FBI, Team ADAM, an extension of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Office of the State Attorney, 14th Judicial Circuit, Bay, Calhoun, Jackson, Gulf, and Holmes County Sheriff’s Offices, Chipley and Graceville Police Departments, Florida Department of Corrections, Bay County Mounted Posse and the Salvation Army.

http://www.panhandleparade.com/index.php....on/mbb771 9718/

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Baby Shannon found alive // PHOTOS, VIDEO, DCF REPORT

November 05, 2009

By ANDREW GANT and JAY FELSBERG / Florida Freedom Newspapers

CHIPLEY — The bizarre four-day search for a missing 7-month-old girl ended early Wednesday as investigators announced they had “good news,” before the sheriff opened a door to reveal baby Shannon Dedrick, alive and well.

“I’ll never forget that time as long as I live,” Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said as he introduced the 7-month-old child to the media at the 1 a.m. press conference.

The baby was brought from Northwest Florida Community Hospital, where she had been evaluated after being found at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday in a box under the bed at the 3395 Orange Hill Road home of Susan Baker, the baby’s sitter, and Baker’s husband, James.

The Bakers, along with the baby’s mother, Crystina Lynn Mercer, were being detained — although not yet charged — in connection with the baby’s disappearance, authorities said at a 1 a.m. press conference. All are being questioned, investigators said.

Officers from several agencies were on hand early Thursday as Haddock gave out a bit more information about the search that began when Shannon was reported missing at 11:23 a.m. Saturday.

The story already had taken one major twist Wednesday when The News Herald learned Susan Baker became a key figure in the case as sources confirmed she was a suspect in the disappearance of her own toddler stepson 22 years ago in South Carolina. That child has never been found.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for the Baker residence and served the warrant at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Haddock said, and the baby eventually was found in a box under a bed.

Haddock said Shannon was rushed to Northwest Florida hospital and appeared unharmed. Further examination was scheduled for Thursday morning.

Haddock would not go into details of the investigation but noted investigation of a person of interest led to the search warrant being served. Another news conference was set for 11 a.m. Thursday, and more details are expected to emerge then.

Custody of the baby is yet to be decided, but family members on hand at the press conference expressed their happiness at Shannon being found safely and for the hard work of law enforcement and volunteers.

Grandmother Kandis Boyer and her two daughters left Texas at 6 a.m. Tuesday and drove all the way to Chipley.

“We’re taking this one step at a time,” Boyer said. “The main focus is on Shannon. Thank God for bringing my granddaughter to safety.”

Haddock noted that officers were delighted the case turned out as it did, as many times reports of missing children end in tragedy. “But we were hoping for the best,” Haddock said.

Haddock said that the intense news coverage “pushed the window up a little bit” to solve the case.

Susan Baker, 50, had appeared to be a major part of the Sheriff’s Office’s investigation, as three sheriff’s deputies had been guarding her front gate on Orange Hill Road into Wednesday evening. She spoke with The News Herald several times Tuesday detailing her love for the 11-pound infant and what she called the abuses in the baby’s home but did not return calls Wednesday.

The deputies outside her gate Wednesday night said she likely was not inside her home, which sat out of sight, down a long dirt path.

According to news reports, Susan and James Baker reportedly were suspects in the 1987 disappearance of toddler Paul Baker, whom Susan Baker claimed vanished while she slept.

The Sheriff’s Office had said little throughout the four-day search.

Haddock said initially there was no sign of abduction but also no chance little Shannon could leave on her own.

Shannon’s parents’ names were not even released until Wednesday, when the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) identified the parents as Crystina Lynn Mercer and James Dedrick, apparently known to friends as “Rusty.”

But many of Wednesday’s questions fell to Susan Baker, who said Tuesday in an exclusive News Herald interview that she frequently took Shannon away for “as long as I wanted,” even to church service.

Neighbors said she sometimes took the child to doctor’s appointments.
Susan Baker shared an e-mail she sent to Gov. Charlie Crist reporting drug use and abuse in the household, begging him to “please, please help this child.”

DCF confirmed agents frequently visited the home.

Susan Baker’s first News Herald interview ended abruptly as she said the Sheriff’s Office warned her not to speak to reporters.

But second and third phone calls lasted much longer, as she accused Shannon’s parents of doing drugs and other “really weird things.”

Asked if she had anything to do with Shannon’s disappearance, Susan Baker insisted she was at home Saturday morning, looking at the computer with her husband, and some type of log-in timestamp could prove it.

One neighbor, Tanya Wilt, who said Mercer approached her Saturday morning to ask if she had seen her baby, described a happy child who did not seem to be abused as Susan Baker claimed.

“A mistreated child is not content,” Wilt said. “That was a content child.”
Wilt apparently helped Mercer search for missing Shannon just after 11 a.m. Saturday, just before the Sheriff’s Office received the emergency call on her disappearance.

DCF released an eight-page report Wednesday on its history with the family. The report is posted in its entirety at newsherald.com. It showed multiple contacts and visits to Shannon’s home and random drug tests of the parents. The agency is continuing its investigation into the case’s handling.

Outside the family’s trailer Wednesday, neighbor Wilt said the initial clues at the scene were tire tracks in the soft dirt path leading to the family’s trailer.
It rained from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. the morning of Shannon’s disappearance, Wilt said, and later that morning, there was a single set of tire tracks leaving the lot.

She suspected the vehicle arrived there before the rain — or early enough during it that the arrival tracks were washed away — and left after the rainfall stopped.

Another neighbor, she said, reported seeing a gray van departing. A woman who identified herself as Susan Baker’s niece, Tabatha Phillips, confirmed Susan Baker drives a gray van.

She also confirmed she believes Susan Baker is the person of interest in the case, but claimed the only reason she was a potential suspect “is because of all that crap that happened way back when.”

Susan Baker was charged in 1987 for beating the 6-year-old sister of Paul, the missing boy. Susan Baker was sentenced to 10 years in prison for assault and aggravated battery, but a judge suspended the sentence to time served — 80 days, according to the Bluffton Today newspaper in Beaufort, S.C.

In 2000, Susan and James Baker were extradited to South Carolina from Chipley and charged in the disappearance of toddler Paul, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Bluffton Today reported the Bakers faced charges of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature for allegedly beating Paul before his disappearance, and at some point Susan Baker was charged with criminal domestic violence. The newspaper reported the case was taken up by a grand jury in 2000 but did not issue an indictment. Related charges of unlawful neglect were dropped in 2003, the newspaper said, and the couple moved back to Florida.

As of Wednesday, Paul’s case was listed as being in “cold status,” said Robin McIntosh, spokeswoman for the Beaufort County, S.C., Sheriff’s office.

A Beaufort investigator was assisting in the Chipley case, McIntosh said.

No one appeared at Shannon’s family’s trailer Wednesday evening but a chained-up puppy. Deputies next door were interviewing a neighbor.

Wilt said Mercer had been home the past two nights and had expressed “she knows that they think she did it.”

The last she’d seen the baby sitter, Wilt said, was the first of October — the same day Mercer received her Social Security check — and Susan Baker showed up to take the baby to the doctor.

Audio Video PC included
http://www.newsherald.com/news/shann...ive-video.html

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Emotional Fla. sheriff celebrates baby's survival

By MELISSA NELSON (AP) –November 06, 2009

CHIPLEY, Fla. — Sheriff Bobby Haddock knew time was running out for a 7-month-old girl missing in the Florida Panhandle.

For five days, searchers had scoured the dense vines and marshes around the baby's rural home, knowing that every hour a child is missing, the chances of finding them alive decreases. But Shannon Lea Dedrick was finally discovered — lying quietly in a 2-foot by 3-foot cedar box that had been shoved under her baby sitter's bed.

Haddock held the baby in front of flashing cameras and a cheering local audience, proudly displaying a discovery that defied statistics that show only a 30 percent chance of bringing a child home safe if they've been missing for more than three hours.

"We are the proud papas of a little girl," the beaming sheriff announced, his deputies standing behind him.

Later Thursday, the Sheriff choked up as he explained how investigators found the infant after days of searching. Clothing was packed around the box to muffle any sounds and baking soda placed inside to mask the stench of dirty diapers. She had been alone in the box for 12 hours as investigators interviewed the baby sitter.

"Statistically speaking this should not have ever happened, that we found this child alive, especially after so many days," said Haddock, who cradled Shannon in his arms as he spoke to reporters. "Time was against us."

Authorities said the baby's mother, Chrystina Lynn Mercer, gave the infant to baby sitter Susan Elizabeth Baker early Saturday, then reported her missing about 10 hours later. Haddock said Shannon apparently had been fed and cared for while she was with Baker, who lived about 12 miles from Mercer.

Shannon appeared healthy.

"Once we got the hospital, five or six of us called our wives to let them know that we found the child and a lot grown men were shedding tears," Haddock said.

Mercer was charged Thursday with interference of child custody, desertion of a child and several other charges. Charges against Baker included neglect of a child with aggravated circumstances and interference of child custody.

Bond was set at $150,000 for Baker and $75,000 for Mercer. In separate hearings, the women shuffled in wearing leg chains and their hands bound with plastic restraints.

The judge told Mercer she couldn't have contact with her daughter, who was in state custody, if she posts bond. Both women said they understood the charges against them and their arraignments were scheduled for Dec. 14.

According to court documents, child welfare officials began looking into allegations Shannon was being abused less than two weeks after she was born.

Investigators frequently went to the infant's home from August to late September and reported that both parents used marijuana and kept a messy home. But they said Shannon seemed to be cared for and in September, a physician determined she was healthy.

Susan Baker was involved in another missing child case in South Carolina more than two decades ago. She had been a baby sitter for James Baker and his now ex-wife before she married him, a family member said.

Susan Baker told authorities her stepson, 3-year-old Paul Leonard Baker, disappeared from the family's Beaufort, S.C., home on March 5, 1987, while she napped.

A massive manhunt turned up nothing. She and her husband, James Baker, were extradited to South Carolina in 2000 and charged with assault and battery in Paul's disappearance, according to police reports provided by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. But a grand jury never indicted them and the child was never found.

Paul's grandmother said she blames Susan Baker for her grandson's disappearance. Lambert gained legal custody of Paul's sister.

She was glad the case in Florida has renewed interest in Paul's disappearance.

"I'd like to know if my grandson is dead or alive," said Linda Lambert, 65, of Mebane, N.C. "I'd like some closure."

Susan Baker did serve prison time after authorities investigating Paul's disappearance discovered her 6-year-old stepdaughter had been badly beaten. Susan Baker was sentenced to 10 years in prison but the punishment was suspended to 80 days.

Florida officials refused to answer questions Thursday about the South Carolina case. They would say only that investigators from that state were in Chipley and had spoken with Baker.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti....ISnn8gD9BPTK401

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Mother, aunt charged in infant’s disappearance

By HEATHER KRETZER, WMBB News 13
Published: November 5, 2009


This photo, release by FDLE Thursday afternoon, shows the two- by three-foot box cedar box Shannon Lea Dedrick was kept in, as law enforcement officials scoured the area searching for the missing infant.

At a news conference Thursday morning, Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock announced charges have been filed against the mother and aunt of 7-month-old Shannon Lea Dedrick.

The announcement came five days after Shannon was reported missing and just hours after she was found alive. Sheriff Haddock said the investigation was like “pulling hen’s teeth.” The case was solved through grunt work by all law enforcement involved.

Haddock had tears in his eyes at an early Thursday morning news conference where he presented baby Shannon alive. He again fought back the tears later Thursday morning in a second news conference as he discussed the two- by three-foot cedar box Shannon was found in.

Shannon’s mother and aunt were taken into custody Wednesday night after Shannon was reportedly found in a box under the bed of Susan Baker, her aunt and babysitter. A search was conducted at Baker’s home around 8 p.m. Shannon was found just before 10 p.m.

Authorities believe she had been closed up inside the box for 12 hours. She did not have a bottle in the box. The only things inside the shut box with Shannon was baking powder, to cover the smell of a dirty diaper, and a blanket that was wrapped around her. Investigators said Baker was using the box to hide Shannon when authorities were coming to the home.

Haddock said Shannon was fed and in good condition, but was rushed to Northwest Florida Community Hospital to be checked out. That’s when he said several of his officers began calling their wives and crying.

The Department of Children and Families will determine who gets custody of Shannon. Several family members said they would be happy to care for her.

Investigators say Shannon’s mother, Chrystina Mercer, arranged to give Shannon to Baker on Friday. They believe the exchange took place at the mailbox at the end of Mercer’s drive on Brown Street in Chipley around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Arraignments for Mercer and Baker will be held Thursday afternoon at the Washington County Courthouse.

Mercer faces felony charges of interference with child custody and desertion of a child, along with misdemeanor charges of filing a false report regarding a missing child, filing a false report of a crime, and contributing to delinquency of a child.

Baker faces felony charges of neglect of a child with aggravated circumstances and interference with child custody, 3rd degree felony, as well as misdemeanor charges of filing a false report regarding a missing child, filing a false report of a crime, and contributing to delinquency of a child.

Hours after the reported exchange at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Shannon was reported missing by her mother. Since that time, rescue crews from across the Panhandle and nation searched desperately for the infant. Haddock said around 3,770 rescue man hours were logged. Law enforcement and search and rescue crews from from Washington, Liberty, Gulf and Bay counties assisted. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Corrections and FBI also gave aid in the case.

Haddock said Mercer and Baker were persons of interest in the case from the beginning because they were two of the three people to last see the child since Friday. Shannon’s father and Baker’s step-brother, Rusty Dedrick, was also one of the last to see Shannon, but authorities say he was not involved in the arrangement between Mercer and Baker. Haddock also said Baker ridiculed their investigation, never knowing she was on their radar.

Susan Baker’s husband, James, was taken into custody Wednesday night, but he was released around 3 a.m. Thursday morning. He is not facing any charges at this time. Haddock says his office is still working with the State Attorney’s Office to determine if any charges will be filed. He did say James Baker might was not involved in the agreement between Mercer and Susan Baker.

This is not the first time that the Bakers have been involved in a missing child case. Their 3-year-old son Paul was reported missing back in 1987 from Beaufort County, S.C. The Bakers were extradited from Washington County to face a grand jury in connection with the crime in 2000, but they were not indicted.

Haddock said his office became aware of this information Saturday, while conducting their initial investigation background checks.

http://www2.jcfloridan.com/jcf/news/loca....earance/106571/