DAYTON — It’s been 22 years since a little girl went missing in southwestern Ohio. Now Erica Baker's father wants to restart the search for his daughter who disappeared when she was nine years old back in 1999.
So Kettering Police and Texas EquuSearch are teaming up for a search at Huffman Metro Park.
“This is stuff you only see on TV and when you’re actually living this it’s a nightmare. It’s a scary situation.”
Erica's father, Greg, said he was devastated the day he found out she had gone missing. It was a Sunday when Erica returned home to her mother’s house to walk her dog. But she never made it back.
“Walking her dog is something that was not a routine for her,” Baker said. “This was something sporadic and that is something that I have lived with for a lot of years because she actually walked to the dog up to the area to the school where they were having that father-daughter dance.”
A search for Erica began that night and continued for about a month. But then slowly came to an end.
“That’s when we started gathering people to start my search team and we did that for 13 years,” he said. “We ran that center for 13 years out of donations from the public.”
It’s been a challenging 22 years for Greg and his family, not knowing whether Erica is still alive today.
Kettering Police believe Erica was killed in a hit and run accident and her body was hidden. But the case is still under investigation.
“I hope we do come to an end soon,” he said. “I want to get her put into a place where family can come and see her and her extended family, which is where the public can come and see her.”
Now that the search has continued, Greg said he’s hopeful about being one step closer to locating his daughter. And is grateful for everyone’s help along the way.
“Without the public and the Kettering PD and all the other law enforcement agencies that were involved in this I really don’t know where we would be today,” he said.
If you know any information about Erica Baker’s disappearance, call Kettering Police at 937-296-2255.