Growing up, there are stories that stick with you forever. If you grew up in Dayton, Ohio, a mid-sized city nestled between Columbus and Cincinnati, that story was probably the disappearance of Erica Baker. On February 7, 1999, Erica Baker put on her raincoat, leashed up her dog, and started to walk through a park. The 9-year-old was never seen again.

Twenty-three years later, her investigation still haunts the community. That’s why Dayton 24/7 Now is bringing listeners the most in-depth journalistic investigation to date on the Erica Baker Case. The Missing Erica Baker podcast launches on June 22, 2022, bringing you exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage – hoping that maybe, just maybe, what we’ve found could bring her home.

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Katie Wolford remembers growing up in the 90s as a time when kids had the freedom to run outside and play with their neighborhood friends. Until one day, her childhood best friend Erica Baker vanished into thin air. Dayton 24/7 Now journalists Nathan Edwards and Bryn Caswell talk to Erica’s family members to recall their final memories on that misty Sunday that started the mystery of what happened to Erica Baker. We start to piece together what happened next.

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On February 7, 1999, an older couple was walking their dog in a local park, when they spot something unusual in the distance: A small, wet dog. Days later, police contact the couple and ask them to come in for questioning – and hypnosis – connected to the Erica Baker disappearance. Days bleed into nights, and Dayton 24/7 Now Reporters start piecing together what happened that day.

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Months after Erica Baker disappears, her family and community honors her tenth birthday. Meanwhile, police are tipped off to a piece of information that would end up changing the course of the investigation. An unexpected death sparks a legal battle that makes it all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court.

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It’s July 2004. The police’s main suspect, Christian Gabriel, reveals important details connected to Erica’s disappearance – and possible whereabouts. He even leads detectives to a wooded location outside of Dayton, Ohio. But police are left with more questions than answers. Christian’s statements continue to shift and change as he is interrogated. Hosts Bryn Caswell and Nathan Edwards visit a remote warehouse and inspect the van police believe struck Erica Baker.

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Time was running out for justice. It’s been six long years since Erica’s family last hugged their 9-year-old girl. Then, in 2005, just three days before the statute of limitations would have expired, Christian Gabriel was indicted on charges connected to the disappearance of Erica Baker. In this episode, reporters Bryn Caswell and Nathan Edwards dissect the trial that found Christian Gabriel guilty and whether justice was really served. Then, Erica’s grandmother Pam Schmidt takes justice into her own hands.

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For the season finale, we take a sentimental deep dive into where this case is headed next; not only on the ground but in the hearts of Erica Baker’s loved ones. To close, our hosts Nathan and Bryn join their News Director, Becky, to share their personal thoughts, findings and closing remarks on the entirety of the case— including a hunch that could even lead to a season 2!

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Based on a hunch from Dayton 24/7 Now News Director Becky Gulden, state and city law enforcement conduct a new search for Erica Baker at a local park that's never been examined before. Becky realized that a different location south of Kettering more accurately matches the driving directions Christian Gabriel described in his confession letter two decades ago. Tensions and emotions rise as a discovery is made during the search, but will it lead to a breakthrough in the case?

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