CHIPLEY -- Authorities said the mother of a missing Florida 7-month-old secretly turned her over to her baby sitter in the middle of the night.
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said Thursday that infant Shannon Dedrick was found alive in a box under baby sitter Susan Elizabeth Baker's bed. Investigators have been searching for her since her parents reported her missing Saturday.
Haddock said Baker asked the girl’s mother, Crystina Lynn Mercer, on Friday if she could have custody of Shannon.
The sheriff said Mercer brought the infant to Baker’s house early Saturday, about 10 hours before she was reported missing.
Haddock said Mercer, 25, and Baker, 50, each face several charges.
Authorities did say Baker is the half-sister of Shannon’s father.
Is Abduction Related To Cold Case?
According to CNN, a woman named Susan Baker was investigated in 2000 for the disappearance of her 3-year-old stepson, Paul Baker.
Investigators said they are looking into whether that is the same Susan Baker who was Shannon’s babysitter.
Paul Baker vanished in South Carolina in 1987. He was never found, the Beaufort County, S.C., Sheriff’s Office said it is now a cold case.
Sitter Reportedly Tries To Save Baby From Parents
An Associated Press report said Susan Baker sent a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist months earlier, asking the governor to save Shannon Dedrick from her drug-abusing parents.
The Florida Department of Children and Families said it investigated the baby’s mother and father after the complaint in August, and workers have had “a lot of involvement” with the family.
However, DCF Secretary George Sheldon said investigators did not find legal grounds to take the infant away from her parents.
Comment On This Story