Little Zahara Baker

On October 9th , a 10 year old girl, Zahra Baker, from North Carolina went missing from her home where she lived with her father, Adam Baker, and her stepmother, Elisa Baker (CNN, 2010). At about 2 PM, Zahra Baker was first reported as missing by her father, who stated he had found a ransom note on the vehicle outside his home (CNN, 2010). He had also stated Zahra was last seen sleeping in her bed at about 2:30 am, almost 12 hours earlier (CNN, 2010). Police cadaver dogs indicated the scent of human remains on the vehicles outside the Baker's home (CNN, 2010). Elisa Baker, the stepmother, was arrested the following morning on unrelated charges of check deception (CNN, 2010). On Monday, two days after the little girl's disappearance, Elisa admitted to police in an interview that she had written the ransom note and requested an attorney (CNN, 2010). Zahra's disappearance then turned from a missing child case to a possible homicide. Elisa has since been charged with obstruction and is being held on $31,500 bail (CNN, 2010). Adam Baker faces charges as well, but a warrant for his arrest has not been issued because he is fully cooperating with the police in their investigation (CNN, 2010). Zahra Baker was a bone cancer survivor, but had lost part of her left leg due to the disease (CNN, 2010). She had a prosthetic leg and hearing aids as a result of her illness (CNN, 2010). Upon her disappearance, her hearing aids had been found by police, but not her prosthesis (CNN, 2010). Fighting cancer at the age of five was not the only difficulty Zahra had in her life. After leaving her home country of Australia and her birth mother at the age of 8 months, Zahra came to the United States with her father so he could marry her future stepmother who he had met online (CNN, 2010). Adam and Elisa Baker had been previously reported to child welfare on at least two occasions for allegations of Zahra having black eyes and her being kept locked in a room (CNN, 2010). Also, a family member has stated to police that she was aware of Elisa spanking Zahra until it made her hand hurt and also only allowing the little girl out of her locked room for five minutes to eat (CNN, 2010). This investigation continues as the world watches and waits for any clues as to what happened to little Zahra.

Since this story broke almost two weeks ago the mass media "print and electronic means of communication that carry messages to a widespread audience" has been on top of every lead and every new piece of information that has come to light (Schaefer, 2010, p. 140). As I read more and more about this little girl's life, I cannot help but to think about the social institution of family and how something so important to our society "a fairly large number of people who live in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside their area, and participate in a common culture" as a whole can mean so little to some that live in it (Schaefer,