DNA confirms skull that of NC disabled girl

A skull found a year ago by hunters in the woods is that of a disabled girl who was killed and dismembered by her stepmother, North Carolina police said Thursday.

DNA tests show it was Zahra Baker's, but Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said investigators are still unable to say how the 10-year-old died. Adkins said he and other law enforcement officers who spent many months searching for the girl had "mixed emotions" about knowing for certain that it was her remains.

"It brings up the tragedy of Zahra's death and the life she lived before she was killed but it also gives us and the community a sense of finally bringing her home."

Said Caldwell County Sheriff Alan Jones: "She will be in our memories for the rest of our lives."

The Zahra Baker case captivated the attention of communities here and in Australia, where she had lived before her father, Adam Baker, moved to the United States to marry Elisa Baker.

Elisa Baker is serving up to 18 years in prison. She pleaded guilty in 2011 to second-degree murder with aggravating factors that included desecrating Zahra Baker's body.

Zahra Baker, who wore a prosthetic leg and hearing aids after a struggle with bone cancer, was reported missing in October 2010 from her home in the western North Carolina town of Hickory.

Parts of her remains were found in multiple sites around Hickory shortly after her reported disappearance. But her skull wasn't found until last year.

It was examined by investigators with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and N.C. Medical Examiner's Office using a DNA profile used for the prosecution of Elisa Baker.

Zahra's death was caused by "undetermined homicidal violence," medical examiners said.

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DNA confirms skull that of NC disabled girl