Adam Baker has returned to his native Australia, taking the cremated remains of his murdered daughter, Zahra, with him.
Baker, 34, voluntarily returned to Australia on Jan. 19, said Vincent Picard, southern regional communications director for the US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Mr. Baker coordinated his return to Australia with ICE officials who verified that he had purchased a ticket to Australia and had boarded the plane prior to departure,” Picard said.
He said Baker was not deported, because he purchased his own ticket and left the country voluntarily. However, ICE officials were at the San Francisco airport to ensure Baker boarded his plane, Picard said.
Baker’s Catawba County attorney, Mark Killian, said he received confirmation from officials on Jan. 23 or 24 that Baker left the US.
Baker is from Queensland, Australia. He came to North Carolina after meeting Elisa Baker online. The pair married in Australia and moved to the United States, bringing Baker’s daughter, Zahra, with them. Baker was never in the country legally.
Zahra, 10, was reported missing in October 2010 and found dismembered, her body scattered in Caldwell County, later that fall. Elisa Baker pleaded guilty to her murder in September 2011. In April 2011, an immigration detainer was placed on Adam Baker by ICE.
Baker was not charged in Zahra’s death. However, he was charged with felony identity theft and felony obtaining property by false pretenses for getting electricity to his Hickory home in a relative’s name. On Jan. 5, 2012, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor unauthorized reconnection of electricity.
He was also charged with a host of misdemeanors in Caldwell County, including assault with a deadly weapon, communicating threats, failure to return rental property and worthless checks. On Jan. 5, he was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 30 days in jail. The communicating threats charges were dismissed. His attorney, Shell Pearce, filed a notice of appeal for the guilty verdict, and Baker was allowed to leave court that day.
He still has court dates in March in Caldwell County for the other pending charges.
Picard said the district attorney’s office was aware of Baker preparing to leave the country.
“As Mr. Baker updated ICE officers on his travel plans, ICE also continued to keep local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors apprised of his status,” he said. “Local authorities were notified of Mr. Baker’s return plans at least 48 hours prior to his departure and indicated that they had no interest in pursuing his case.”
Calls to the district attorney’s office were unreturned Monday.
Throughout the arrest of his wife and search for his daughter, Baker had repeatedly expressed his desire to return to Australia with Zahra once she was found.
After investigators found Zahra dead, Baker told members of the media he wanted to return to his native country to bury his daughter there. Baker received Zahra’s remains from the NC Medical Examiner’s Office on Nov. 21, and had them cremated. He told Pearce he planned to bury them in the family’s plot in Australia.
“Adam’s looking forward to resuming a low-key, quite, private life,” Pearce said.
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