Shannon Dedrick Found Alive Under Babysitter’s Bed /UPDATE: Baker & Mercer plead not guilty

Shannon Dedrick - 7 Month Old Missing From Florida
Posted on November 2nd, 2009
by Jan Barrett



The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has issued a missing child alert for 7 month old Shannon Dedrick. Shannon is a white female that is 2 ft tall and weighs only about 11 lbs. She has blue eyes and some reports say she has brown and others say she has blonde or white hair.

She disappeared from her home in Chipley, Florida, which is in the Northwestern part of Florida on October 31, 2009.

Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock says his department is following up every lead they can in the search.

A call came in reporting Shannon missing about 11:50 am on Saturday October 31. The main area they are focusing on right now in the search is north of South Boulevard and on the East side of Brown St in Chipley. Sunday afternoon approximately 75 people were out searching the wooded and swampy areas near Shannon’s home.

Shannon’s aunt from Texas notified the sheriff’s office to tell them she would like the area residents to know that Shannon’s mother, Christina suffers from a growth development problem that Shannon could have inherited. She says the problem includes a somewhat larger than average head. She is reporting this in hopes that this would make her niece easier for a stranger to spot.

Haddock says nothing makes them think the baby has been abducted but they realize the baby didn’t just crawl or walk out on her own.

Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of this baby please call it in to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 850-638-6111 or you can contact:

FDLE Missing Endangered Persons
Information Clearinghouse
1-888-FL MISSING
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My prayers go to Shannon and her family. I pray that this baby is found safe and returned home soon. When is this going to stop? Let us all remember in our prayers all the other children and their families we have been reporting about that are missing or killed including, Caylee Anthony, Adji Desir, Haleigh Cummings, Somer Renee Thompson, Elizabeth Olten, Masaraha Ross and Alex Christopher Mercado.

Jan Barrett

As a favor to our readers I am posting these web sites:

Stop the abuse and murder of the children in the U.S.

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Missing child alert
Infant missing from home on Florida Panhandle

Updated: Monday, 02 Nov 2009, 11:00 AM EST
Published : Monday, 02 Nov 2009, 10:56 AM EST

CHIPLEY, Fla. (AP) - Florida authorities were searching for baby girl missing on the Panhandle.

Seven-month-old Shannon 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.

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

Please click here for video:

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My Lord, a 7 month old?? This just never ends, and again..FLORIDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is now a Statewide Amber Alert!!

the baby did not leave on her own. No they are saying on HLN that she is in danger.... I swear what is in the air in Florida???? Poor little girl.

She is 7 months old, 24 inches and only weighs 11 pounds??? Something is not right!!

Neighbors React To Child’s Disappearance
11/02/09 - 06:29 PM

Shannon Dedrick of Chipley was reported missing Saturday morning around 11:30. A missing child alert was put out by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement last night (Sunday).

At a news conference this afternoon Sheriff Bobby Haddock said he could give the name of possible suspect at this time.

We did learn that the last time Shannon was seen was in her parents’ bedroom before they went to sleep. And while authorities aren’t saying much right now… neighbors who who helped search for Shannon are talking about her disappearance.

“I just hope the baby’s alive, really,” says Tanya Wilt, a neighbor.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says Shannon disappeared sometime between 3:00 a-m and 11:00 a-m Saturday morning. Most residents didn’t see anything suspicious, but one neighbor mentions seeing a van pull into the driveway.

It wasn’t until later that morning that they knew something was wrong when Shannon’s mother… who they say normally keeps to herself… came to their doors. Wilt says that “she come and knocked on our door at around 11 or 11:15 in the morning and she said ‘did y’all hear anybody pull up in our driveway?’ and I said ‘no, why’ and she said ‘cause my baby’s gone’ and I’m like ‘what do you mean your baby’s gone?’!”

Neighbors then helped Shannon’s mother search their mobile home. And after the search they called to report seven-month-old Shannon missing. According to Wilt “We walked over the three of us together and I’m like ‘are you sure your baby’s gone’ cause the house…it could have been in there somewhere. And we walked through and there was no baby.”

Neighbors say a short time after the report was filed the driveway was packed with police cars.

Officers with the FDLE, Gulf, Franklin, Bay and Holmes County Sheriff’s Offices are assisting in the case as well as deputies with the Graceville and Chipley Police Departments.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is following up on the many tips they are receiving about the case.

If you have any information contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 638-6311.

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MAJOR RED FLAGS HERE!!

I want to know exactly how long it took this mother to call 911? How long had it been since she last saw her? Does she breast feed? How often does she feed the baby? Why didn't she call 911 first before knocking on the neighbors door? What the heck is up with this "van"?

I pray that baby is still alive all this is very odd and very disturbing! I want to know more about the van too!

She was awfully small for her age. Something stinks and I fear the parents know more than they are telling.

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

The baby sitter of a missing Florida infant is now being investigating 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.

More at:
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Update: Officers Surrounding Home of Reported Babysitter of Missing Infant
11/04/09 - 12:45 PM

................South Carolina authorities say they received a tip that the Bakers killed their son and dumped the body. They were charged with high and aggravated assault and battery and taken to South Carolina for questioning. The case is still open and is being treated as a homicide. News 13 is examining court records to determine the outcome of those charges.

News 13 has learned that Beaufort County is sending an investigator to assist in the case of missing baby Shannon. They would not comment any further. We also know that officers are now surrounding the home of the Bakers but they are not commenting on why...........

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Oh gosh, At least there is hope that she is alive, if the baby sitter cared enough for her to write a letter to the gov. maybe she did take her to protect her from the drug abusing, mentally challenged parents.

i'm so confused about susan baker!

me too, are they saying she is one of the same bakers that lost their son 26 years ago?

Same Bakers, Critter, and the disappearance of their son is now being looked at as a homicide investigation.
There is a video of this news on this link.

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oh wow! that was fast!

thx BJ, you are the best!!!!!

Authorities confirmed Wednesday they are investigating connections between a 22-year-old missing child case in Beaufort and the recent disappearance of 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick from her family's trailer near the woods in Chipley, Fla., according to news reports.

A woman who said she was Baker's niece confirmed to the News Herald that she was the same woman accused in the 1987 disappearance. But that arrest, according to niece Tabatha Phillips, was "on a technicality" and Baker was innocent.

Baker was convicted of abusing the child and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for assault and battery. Her sentence was suspended for time served.

Washington County sheriff's investigators were working on that connection Wednesday. Around 12:50 p.m. Wednesday, two deputies from Holmes and Jackson counties were at the gate to the Bakers' property, the News-Herald reported. The home was not visible, sitting down a long path and blocked by a hill.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Andrea Gainey could not confirm if deputies were descending on the home. Baker, who was in contact with the News Herald multiple times Tuesday night, could not be reached multiple times Wednesday.

Investigators were in briefings Wednesday morning. Gainey said Baker was one of hundreds interviewed, that the Sheriff's Office was aware of the similarities in Dedrick's disappearance and the 1987 case, and that the person of interest still was not public information.

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Cold Case Files

Paul Leonard Baker
Missing since March 5, 1987 from Beaufort, South Carolina
Classification: Non-Family Abduction

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I don't understand. How are they connected to Shannons disappearance?

Susan Baker was her babysitter.

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.

Being that she had a son (actually step-son) that disappeared................ makes you wonder.

Susan and her husband also had a child that was removed from their home after the boy disappeared.....I'll find it and be back.

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.

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didn't the mom run a backround check before hiring this woman? in her case a quick google search would've saved her babies life!

I have a feeling the mom wouldn't know what a background check was.......just sayin'

:scratch: :lol!:

Within days of Paul's disappearance, the state removed Nina from the Baker home after discovering she had been abused -- a sheriff's deputy said the girl had been "brutalized" and given no medical attention for a broken hand and ulcerated sores on her back that were the result of whippings.

Susan Baker was charged with assault and battery with intent to kill but pleaded guilty to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. She was given a 10-year prison term but released from jail after 80 days when the sentence was suspended for time served, according to records on the Beaufort County courts Web site.

The Bakers later moved to Florida but were extradited back to South Carolina in 2000 in connection with Paul's disappearance, according to reports at that time in The Beaufort Gazette.

However, a grand jury would not indict Susan Baker on a charge of criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, and in 2003, a charge of unlawful neglect of a child was dismissed, according to Daniel Brownstein, spokesman for 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone's office.

An officer who investigated Paul Baker's disappearance will travel to Chipley to aid the investigation there, Beaufort County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Robin McIntosh confirmed Wednesday. Also, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, which assisted the Sheriff's Office in the investigation of Paul's disappearance, is "reviewing all information related to the original case," spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons told The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet by e-mail.

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NewsChannel 7 has learned that in 2000, Baker and her husband, James, were extradited from Chipley back to Beaufort, South Carolina for the 1987 disappearance of Paul Baker, James' 3-year-old son by his first wife.
Susan was the boy's babysitter.
She and James Baker had an affair, and married after he divorced Paul's mother.
At that time, Susan Baker told South Carolina authorities she put Paul down for a nap, only to come back and discover him missing.
The boy was never found.
Susan Baker was sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing the couple's daughter.
She was later released with time served, and the couple returned to Chipley.

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Susan was the babysitter of the boy that went missing.

Sheriff Calls 1 am Press Conference in Missing Baby Case
Foster Folly News - ‎16 minutes ago
Wednesday November 4th, 2009

Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock has just announced a 1 a.m. press conference which he said will have "good news" about missing 7-month-old Shannon Lea Dedrick.

The call came only hours have the Sheriff's Department had issued a flyer offering a $10,000 reward for information about the child's whereabouts.


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BREAKING NEWS: News Conference on Missing Baby Scheduled for 1:00 a.m. Thursday

The Washington County Sheriff's Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are calling a news conference for 1:00 a.m. Thursday with an update on the search for 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick.

Wednesday investigators began looking into possible connections between Shannon’s disappearance and the disappearance of her reported baby sitter’s step-son. Susan Baker’s son, Paul, was reported missing in 1987 in Beaufort County, South Carolina, his body was never found. Authorities in South Carolina extradited Susan and her husband Paul from Washington County in 2000 on charges relating to the disappearance but the grand jury did not indict them.

News 13 will have all the details as soon as they released.

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This is the e-mail sent from Susan Baker to Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

CLARIFICATION: This is an exact copy. The mis-spellings in this letter are originally what was written.

Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 2:53 PM
To: Governor Charlie Crist
Subject: Inportant

Mr Governor Crist,

I want to tell you something, there is four people living together. They
are not working nor are they doing any kind of community serves. But they are drawing food stamps. They take there food stamps and trade them for drugs. Tina Merter was pregnant when she meet James Russell Dedrick, jr dob:Oct 23, 1978, he is 31 yrs old and has never had a job.

So James R Dedrick, jr put his name on Tina Merters baby birth certificate. So now he can get a check, food stamps, medicare. Now there are Micheal, Erica, Tina Merter & James R Dedrick, jr living all together in a house on 537 5th St, Chipley Florida 32428. They are all drowing food stamps and not woking or doing community service. That Is so wrong in alot of wasys.

Tina Meter's baby is being aboused. I have seen James R Dedrick, jr pick that baby up and shake her, just becouse the baby crys and that gets on his nerves. Micheal & Erica also have shoke that baby too. They smoke ciggerets and drugs with the baby in the same room. THAT CHILD NEEDS HELP & NO ONE IS HELPING HER.

Please Help this child she is mentaly challenged. It is not right that these

People are selling their food stamps for drugs. My husband works 58 hrs a week for us to live and it makes me very angry to see these people sitting on their back sides and draining the system that is put in place for the needy, Not the lazy. Please do something about this unjustice and Please, Please save that child.

Thank You For Your Time,
Susan Baker

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Susan, Please learn to spell. OMG!

Shannon has been found alive. No details yet.

Baby Found Alive: At a news conference held early Thursday morning the Washington County Sheriff reported that 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick was found alive. More details shortly at wmbb.com.

Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock was crying as he delivered the news that baby Shannon Dedrick was found alive.

The Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement called for a news conference around 11:00 p.m Wednesday for 1:00 a.m. Thursday.

Shannon was reported missing at 11:30 a.m. Halloween morning by her mother. Authorities believe she went missing some time between 3:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Saturday from the bedroom of her parents on Brown Street in Chipley.

Wednesday investigators began looking into possible connections between Shannon’s disappearance and the disappearance of her reported baby sitter’s step-son. Susan Baker’s son, Paul, was reported missing in 1987 in Beaufort County, South Carolina, his body was never found. Authorities in South Carolina extradited Susan and her husband Paul from Washington County in 2000 on charges relating to the disappearance but the grand jury did not indict them.

Haddock says Shannon was found in a box under Susan and Paul’s bed around 9:55 p.m. Wednesday. Shannon was rushed to Northwest Florida Hospital. Susan and Paul Baker are in custody. The mother of Shannon, Christina Mercer is also in police custody. The investigation is on-going. They are not releasing the charges at this time.

Family members of Shannon were also at the news conference.

Family members of Shannon’s father, Rusty Dedrick, tell News 13 that Shannon Baker is related to Dedrick. They also say Dedrick and Mercer are not married and are no longer together.

The maternal grandmother of Shannon came to the news conference all the way from Texas. She tells News 13 she had suspicions that her daughter might be involved in the case some how.

Both sides of the family were preparing for the worst. But when they learned she was alive it was a range of emotions from cheers to tears. Sheriff Haddock brought the baby over to Shannon’s grandmother and aunt so they could hug and kiss her.

The baby was taken back to the hospital after the news conference. It’s not clear at this time who will get custody of baby Shannon but both sides of the family tell News 13 that would be willing to care for her.

News 13 will have all the details as soon as they released.

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Shannon Baker is related to Dedrick

I'm sure they meant to say Shannon Dedrick.

What a relief. I am so glad she was found alive.

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.

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.

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There wasn't a dry eye in the room early Thursday morning when Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock carried bright-eyed 7 month Shannon Lea Dedrick into the press conference held to announce the baby had been recovered.

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Sheriff Bobby Haddock said early Thursday morning the babysitter, Susan Elizabeth Baker, along with her husband James Arthur Baker and the child's mother Chrystina Lynn Mercer, would be charged. He would not provide details, but promised to release more information Thursday.
The sheriff says they don't believe the father was involved, but he is related to Baker.

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Oh I am pretty sure the Mom will be charged with a variety of neglect and abuse charges. A 7 month old girl should weigh more than 11 lbs. It is such a bizarre story that unfolded. I hope one of the Grandmothers will get to take care of the baby. Poor little angel. My hat is off to LE in that area.

I wonder if the weight of this child is accurate. I read something earlier posted by someone who claimed to know the family, that indicated the child is at least 10 pouds heavier than the 11 pounds reported. This is still pretty small, but it is my understanding she has some hereditary bone structure issues, so maybe this is why she is so small. One of my grandchildren weighed 11lb 5 oz at birth, so seeing the 11 pound weight of this little girl threw me for a loop too.

I apologize if this has already been posted. I just seen it


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so the mom was abusing her baby? i though she had some kind of sickness that made her smaller than her age..

Mother and Aunt Charged in Disappearance of Baby Shannon
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 two were taken into custody Wednesday night after Shannon was reportedly found under the bed of Susan Baker, her aunt and babysitter. Authorities say she was in a small cedar box packed under the bed with other items. They believe she had been in the box for 12 hours before she was found just before 10:00p.m. A search warrant was served at the home around 8:00 p.m.

Sheriff Haddock says that Shannon’s mother, Chrystina Mercer, arranged to give Shannon to Baker. They believe the exchange took place before the child was reported missing at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Susan Baker’s husband, James, was taken into custody also last night, but he is not facing charges.

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Hours before 7-month-old Shannon Lea Dedrick was reported missing, authorities say her mother and aunt were conspiring to remove her from the home.
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said Thursday morning that Baby Shannon’s mother, Crystina Lynn Mercer, and an aunt, Susan Baker, have bene charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors in connection with the baby’s disappearance. Baker also served as the infant’s baby sitter.
Baby Shannon was found alive inside a 2X3 cedar chest underneath a bed in the Baker home late Wednesday night. Haddock said the baby had been inside the chest for at least 12 hours.
“She was placed in the box as a hiding mechanism,“ Haddock said, adding that Baker placed baking powder inside the box to mask the smell of a dirty diaper. Haddock also said Baby Shannon had been placed inside the box several times between her disappearance Saturday and Wednesday night, whenever Baker felt her home was about to be searched.
Haddock said Baby Shannon’s father, Rusty Dedrick, is not believed to be involved in the plan.
Haddock said he is not sure why the two conspired to remove the baby from the home, then concoct a story about her disappearance.

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Baby Shannon was found alive inside a 2X3 cedar chest underneath a bed in the Baker home late Wednesday night. Haddock said the baby had been inside the chest for at least 12 hours.
“She was placed in the box as a hiding mechanism,“ Haddock said, adding that Baker placed baking powder inside the box to mask the smell of a dirty diaper.

This case is bizarre! So a mother gives her baby to the Aunt/sitter/step-son killer? WTF is wrong with some of these mothers? The poor baby had 2 choices, a pot smoking dirty house mother, or a step-son killing Aunt/sitter

Thank GOD she was found ALIVE!! I hope they give her to a good loving family member who will make sure she is well taken care of!!

Arraignments for Mercer and Baker will be held Thursday

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.

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

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.

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I am so shocked by the baking soda. You think you have heard everything. Thank God Shannon is alive and well. What a miracle. I just felt all along the babysitter took her to save her, to give her a better life. A life of almost dying in a little cedar box that would have run out of air eventually. Nut Job!