Custodial dad remains nameless, while step is trashed by the media in daughter's death (Hickory, North Carolina)

Some very interesting ommissions in all the news coverage of this case so far.

1) This case clearly involves a custodial dad and a step--though the fact that the dad, WHO ISN'T EVEN IDENTIFIED BY NAME HERE, is custodial is (as usual) not spelled out very clearly. Had this been a custodial mother and a stepfather/boyfriend, the mom's culpability would be front and center ("Why did that slut let her boyfriend beat that child?") In this case, nothing is said against the father, though it's pretty clear that he's doing a lot of covering up--at minimum. Mothers in these situations are routinely berated, convicted, and imprisoned for failure to protect--even when they were also being battered and threatened. This dad--at best--sat by passively and did nothing while all this was going on or failed to notice anything amiss. At worse, he actively collaborated. Yet the focus of all these articles is on the stepmother who is now being crowned as "the evil bitch" who is responsible for all the problems. While Daddy remains conveniently nameless. Ridiculous.

2) The custodial dad came to North Carolina from Australia. We're told that Australia has enshrined "shared parenting" and routinely charges mothers who leave Australia with their children with child abduction/kidnapping. (Look up the Melinda Stratton case for starters.) So who let Daddy leave the country for some American woman he met on the Internet? I can assure you that the chances of an Australian mother being allowed to leave the country for some dude she met on the computer are somewhere between slim and none. Double standard much?

3) Why the media blackout on this child's real mother? All I've seen anywhere is that she still lives in Australia and hasn't seen the child since she was a baby. Very sad. And a complete miscarriage of justice. Why has nothing appeared giving her point of view?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

Zahra Baker: Family and Neighbors Come Forward with Child Abuse Allegations; Homicide Investigation Begins

Published October 13, 2010 by: Kenzy England

Elisa Baker's public MySpace blog posts have exploded with angry comments from people who want to know what she did with Zahra, among other things.

Hickory Police Chief Announces Beginning of Homicide Investigation:

Hickory police chief Tom Adkins struggled to maintain his composure when he announced he was changing the Amber Alert on Zahra, saying, "The decision to focus this investigation from a missing child, or abducted child, will turn into a homicide investigation.

"Police have not named any suspects in Zahra Baker's disappearance, but police are taking a careful look at Elisa Baker, who, according to CBS News, confessed to writing the $1 million ransom note found at the scene. She has been charged with obstruction of justice.

The note, addressed to Mr. Baker's boss, made it appear Zahra's disappearance was a case of mistaken identity stranger abduction with the boss' daughter the intended victim. The note was designed to throw off detectives investigating the case.

The Baker's told police they last saw Zahra Saturday, October 9 at 2:30 a.m. Police have cast doubt on their account of events and have been unable to determine exactly how long the girl has been missing. They have been unable to find anyone outside the Baker home that has seen the girl in the last month.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children describe Zahra as a white female with light brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a camouflage Army t-shirt with "Work Army" on the front and black knee-length tights.

If you have any information about this case, you may call either the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the Hickory, North Carolina Police Department at 1-828-328-5551.

Sources:

Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families

Zahra Baker Case Becomes Homicide Investigation - ABC News

Stepmom Beat, Locked Up Missing Girl, Kin Say - The Early Show - CBS News

Zahra Clare Baker: Stepmom Elisa Baker Held on Charge Related to Missing N.C. Girl - Crimesider - CBS News

Myspace.com/gothicfairy6668, Elisa Baker