Topline: Both suspects will be charged as adults.
Published: January 20, 2025 5:38 pm ET
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Ka’Niyah Baker
COMULMBIA, SC — Two teens were arrested for their roles in the death of a missing South Carolina girl who was found brutally beaten and stabbed in an abandoned home this week.
In a press conference on Saturday, January 18, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker died a “brutal, heinous, vicious, gruesome, monstrous, and disturbing” death.
Reports indicated Baker had been last seen on January 13, and authorities believed she could be in danger. Two days later, local firefighters responded to a fire at an unoccupied home on the Capital Heights neighborhood and found a body of a female inside.
Police said the victim had significant injuries to her face and body and had been severely burned, and visual identification wasn’t an option due to the severity of her injuries. The victim was later identified using DNA from dirty clothing at Baker’s foster home and dental records.
Coroner Naida Rutherford said the victim was “bludgeoned, stabbed, and burned.”
“The manner of death is not an accident, and this is not a suicide,” she added. “This is a horrible homicide.”
Holbrook stated a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl were arrested for the murder. Both had been reported missing on January 12.
Both suspects will be charged as adults, Solicitor Byron Gipson said.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Pair of Teens Arrested After Missing Girl Found Burned, ‘Bludgeoned’ to Death
Both suspects will be charged as adults.
By Jacob Charles
Published: January 20, 2025 5:38 pm ET
Ka’Niyah Baker
COMULMBIA, SC — Two teens were arrested for their roles in the death of a missing South Carolina girl who was found brutally beaten and stabbed in an abandoned home this week.
In a press conference on Saturday, January 18, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker died a “brutal, heinous, vicious, gruesome, monstrous, and disturbing” death.
Reports indicated Baker had been last seen on January 13, and authorities believed she could be in danger. Two days later, local firefighters responded to a fire at an unoccupied home on the Capital Heights neighborhood and found a body of a female inside.
Police said the victim had significant injuries to her face and body and had been severely burned, and visual identification wasn’t an option due to the severity of her injuries. The victim was later identified using DNA from dirty clothing at Baker’s foster home and dental records.
Coroner Naida Rutherford said the victim was “bludgeoned, stabbed, and burned.”
“The manner of death is not an accident, and this is not a suicide,” she added. “This is a horrible homicide.”
Holbrook stated a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl were arrested for the murder. Both had been reported missing on January 12.
Both suspects will be charged as adults, Solicitor Byron Gipson said.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Pair of Teens Arrested After Missing Girl Found Burned, ‘Bludgeoned’ to Death
Both suspects will be charged as adults.
By Jacob Charles
Published: January 20, 2025 5:38 pm ET
Ka’Niyah Baker
COMULMBIA, SC — Two teens were arrested for their roles in the death of a missing South Carolina girl who was found brutally beaten and stabbed in an abandoned home this week.
In a press conference on Saturday, January 18, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker died a “brutal, heinous, vicious, gruesome, monstrous, and disturbing” death.
Reports indicated Baker had been last seen on January 13, and authorities believed she could be in danger. Two days later, local firefighters responded to a fire at an unoccupied home on the Capital Heights neighborhood and found a body of a female inside.
Police said the victim had significant injuries to her face and body and had been severely burned, and visual identification wasn’t an option due to the severity of her injuries. The victim was later identified using DNA from dirty clothing at Baker’s foster home and dental records.
Coroner Naida Rutherford said the victim was “bludgeoned, stabbed, and burned.”
“The manner of death is not an accident, and this is not a suicide,” she added. “This is a horrible homicide.”
Holbrook stated a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl were arrested for the murder. Both had been reported missing on January 12.
Both suspects will be charged as adults, Solicitor Byron Gipson said.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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