Newspaper Page Text
CAMERON JAY
rrm^coi
Justice for Tara Baker
FAMILY AND PODCAST HOST TRY TO SOLVE A GOLD MURDER CASE
By Cameron Jay news@flagpole.com
he family of Tara Louise Baker
returned to Athens last week, the
20th anniversary of Tara’s murder,
to honor what would have been her 44th
birthday. The family, along with the Classic
City Crime podcast, organized a memorial
at the UGA Law Library, where family and
friends gathered on Jan. 20 to remember a
life of good, brutally taken.
Baker was a 23-year-old University of
Georgia law student in 2001 when she was
attacked and murdered on Jan. 19, just one
day before her 24th birthday. Her home,
located at 160 Fawn Drive in the Deer Park
subdivision, was set on fire to further bru
talize Tara and to conceal evidence in the
case.
I first met the Baker family when I
started my true crime podcast, Classic
City Crime, around 10 months ago. After I
had looked over several unsolved cases in
Athens, Tara’s case stuck with me. She was
a beautiful young woman, living a low-risk
lifestyle, murdered the day before her birth
day, with few-to-no answers coming out
over the last two decades. I wanted to help
in some way. Little did I know what would
come next.
to work together to try this new communi
ty-led effort to find answers in a case that
has obviously festered in their department
for years. I can honestly say, through my
conversations over the last 10 months, I do
believe Tara’s case to be more active today
than it was then.
The answers we’ve been able to provide
the Baker family are difficult to explain.
When we started this journey, the fam
ily was still being denied access to Tara’s
autopsy and crime scene photos. After some
pressure and talks, that is no longer the
case. Tara’s family had also lost contact with
Chris, Tara’s boyfriend from 2001, who was
initially a suspect in the case. Through the
podcast and our process of elimination, that
relationship has been mended.
The Baker family and Classic City Crime
ask anyone who might have information in
the case, or who might be responsible, to
relieve themselves of this weight and come
forward to police or to us directly.
Tara’s case is just one of many homi
cides in Athens-Clarke County that remain
unsolved. According to the results of an
open-records request I filed last month,
ACCPD’s open records clerk reported
x ■ - y
ORA * *
i
Qr al.-*,
Jx ~ r *^^Kwr 7 ]
; g -i
afii- a /+
Tara Baker’s family placed a memorial outside the UGA Law Library last week on the 20th anniversary
of her murder, which remains unsolved.
What followed were weeks of stories
from people who knew Tara best and from
some who had never met her at all but had
heard others speak of aspects of the case.
The Baker family and I not only processed
new information from witnesses but also
reviewed 20 years’ worth of records, tran
scripts and family files to try to finally
answer the question: Who killed Tara
Louise Baker?
While the podcast has not led to an
arrest, it has renewed the Athens-Clarke
County Police Department’s commitment
to the case and has given the Baker family
many answers they’ve been seeking for the
last two decades. When I first reached out
to the ACCPD, I did not feel they wanted
around 40 unsolved murders dating back to
the late 1960s. It’s time the police depart
ment starts thinking of new, creative ways
to solve these cases in which DNA or a con
fession might never surface.
The truth is, from Tara’s case to the
others on the list, there are some cases
that police alone will never be able to
solve. When that is the case, we should
be able to look at one another and find a
way to approach finding new answers and
encouraging public participation. What I’ve
found is that people, unfortunately, are
often more willing to talk to people outside
the police department. Just imagine what
we might accomplish in these cases if we
worked together. ©
run down of local news,
events and happenings sent
straight to your email!
Sign up at flagpole.com
Nancee Tomlinson
Attorney at Law
Experienced advocate for
individuals in criminal,
juvenile, and probate matters
Tomlinson-lawfirm.com
706-200-1777
All of us at laflTINGI invite you to kick off
2021, by supporting our Neighborhood
Leaders through Family Connection -
Communities in Schools of Athens and
suggest/ask/invite you to check out
AGoodStoryFoods.com
family connection
Communities
InSchoote
WUGA 91.7 and 94.5 FM
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
LOCAL
NEWS
| n | p | r r
WUGA IS A BROADCAST SERVICE
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.
@WUGAFM I WUGA.ORG
GROOMING
ATHENS PETS
SINCE 2007
*
MMarai (gasxMsi
Safety-Certified
Salon
(lie/ Qmwj DwjS Sr CM.
1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy • 706-353-1065
barkdogspa.com
BUY IT
RENT IT
IN THE FLAGPOLE
CLASSIFIEDS
oma, weekly, nalei ga*
SELL IT
Uiaei ollteA p&pe/iA.'daily A&tei.!
PLACE YOUR AD BY CALLING 706-549-9523
JANUARY 27, 2021 | FLAGPOLE.COM
5