Search finds no new evidence in Erica Baker case
— Searchers who spent Saturday combing the grounds around Huffman Dam in northern Greene County say they found no new evidence in the disappearance of Erica Baker of Kettering, who went missing in 1999.
Law enforcement and volunteers searched the Huffman Dam area from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., said Dave Rader, director of Equusearch Midwest.
Equusearch Midwest, a search and recovery team based in Cincinnati, organized the search along with Kettering Police.
“We got all of the areas covered that law enforcement wanted us to hit on, so we executed our search, and unfortunately, we came up with nothing,” Rader said.
Five Rivers MetroParks was also involved, Rader said.
Baker was 9 when she went missing Feb. 7, 1999.
She left home on a rainy afternoon to walk the family dog near the Kettering Recreation Complex. The dog was found, but Baker never returned.
Christian Gabriel served six years in prison for gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence after confessing to driving a van that struck the girl near the intersection of Glengarry Drive and Powhattan Place in Kettering.
Gabriel has said that because he and passenger Jan Franks had criminal records, he put Erica inside the van and took off instead of calling for help.
Gabriel has pointed investigators to some locations where nothing has been found. After being released from prison in 2011, Gabriel hasn’t given any other clues. Franks died of a drug overdose in 2001.
Multiple searches have happened and many tips have been submitted since Baker went missing, all to no avail.
Kettering Police Public Information Officer Joe Ferrell said to his knowledge, the Baker case has never been considered closed.
Last week, Rader told the Dayton Daily News, “We’re just hoping that this is the spot where she is so we can give closure not only to the family, but also the community.
“The community — since Day 1 — has been involved in this. We’d love to give the family, first and foremost, what they so desire,” he added.