Elisa Baker will finish her sentence this week for the murder of 10-year-old Zahra Baker.
Her freedom, however, is not near.
Baker, who was arrested, charged and jailed in Catawba County, is scheduled to serve another eight years in federal prison on a drug charge.
Elisa Baker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of her stepdaughter, 10-year-old Zahra Baker, in 2011.
Baker was sentenced to a minimum of 14 years and nine months and a maximum of 18 years and six months in prison for the murder of Zahra Baker.
Elisa Baker finished her sentence for Zahra鈥檚 murder on July 2, according to the N.C. Department of Adult Correction. In September 2011, Baker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, according to court documents.
Once the murder sentence is finished, Elisa Baker will begin serving time for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The controlled substances were oxycodone, hydrocodone and alprazolam. Baker pleaded guilty to the drug charge in 2012, according to court documents.
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Elisa Baker was to be released directly into federal custody on Wednesday to be transferred to a federal prison, N.C. Department of Adult Correction Communications Officer Brad Deen said on Monday.
Baker received eight infractions throughout her prison sentence since 2015. The most recent infraction was on May 10 for refusing to take a drug or breathalyzer test, according to N.C. Department of Adult Correction files.
The murder conviction sentence also included charges of obstructing justice, bigamy, identity theft and obtaining property by false pretenses, according to the N.C. Department of Adult Correction.
Baker was originally sentenced to 10 years for the federal drug offense. In 2015, the sentence was reduced by two years, according to federal court documents.
Elisa Baker could be out of prison as early as the year 2033, according to the documents.
Zahra Baker was reported missing from her Hickory home Oct. 9, 2010. Her stepmother, Elisa Baker, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Zahra鈥檚 death.
What happened to Zahra?
It has been nearly 14 years since the 10-year-old cancer survivor was killed and dismembered. If Zahra were still alive, she would be 24.
Around 5 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2010, the Hickory Police Department was called by the Hickory Fire Department to investigate a small fire at 21 21st Ave. NW. A fake ransom note was found at the scene, according to court documents.
Around 2 p.m. on Oct. 9, 2010, Adam Baker reported Zahra missing, stating he believed Zahra was kidnapped. Elisa Baker told police Zahra was last seen at their home around 2:20 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2010, according to court documents.
Two days later, Elisa Baker admitted to writing the ransom note, according to court documents.
Hickory police determined Zahra Baker was killed around Sept. 24, 2010. That was a little more than two weeks before she was reported missing.
Zahra Baker spent her early childhood in Australia. Zahra battled cancer twice. As a result, she required a prosthetic leg and hearing aids.
Zahra and her father moved to North Carolina in 2008 after Elisa Baker married Adam Baker.
Part two of our documentary on the life of Zahra Baker.
Social services conducted two wellness checks in 2010. The last wellness check was just two months before Zahra died. During those wellness checks, social services found no evidence of abuse.
Hickory police did not find any of Zahra鈥檚 remains until Oct. 26, 2010. The day before, Elisa Baker showed police various places where she said she disposed of Zahra鈥檚 body. Zahra鈥檚 prosthetic leg was found in the brush along Christie Road in Caldwell County. A bone belonging to Zahra was found on Christie Road a week later. The bone confirmed Zahra鈥檚 death.
Throughout the following months, investigators found more of Zahra鈥檚 bones scattered through Catawba, Caldwell and Burke counties, according to court documents.
Part three in our documentary series on the life of Zahra Baker.
Before Zahra鈥檚 prosthetic leg was found, Elisa Baker was arrested on obstruction of justice charges, and Adam Baker was arrested on five worthless check charges and three counts of failure to appear.
Elisa Baker was indicted for second-degree murder on Feb. 21, 2011, according to court documents.
Adam Baker was never charged in his daughter鈥檚 murder.
Cellphone data was a key piece of evidence used to clear Adam Baker. While Elisa Baker鈥檚 cellphone pinged near areas where Zahra鈥檚 remains were discovered, Adam Baker鈥檚 cellphone did not, according to court documents.
Adam Baker at a court appearance in 2012 for charges unrelated to his daughter Zahra Baker鈥檚 death.
When Elisa Baker accepted her plea deal, Hickory police still had not found Zahra鈥檚 entire body. The N.C. Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office could not determine an exact cause of death. The medical examiner said Zahra died of undetermined homicidal violence.
On Sept. 15, 2011, Elisa Baker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Zahra鈥檚 skull was found on April 17, 2012. It was discovered by a hunter in a wooded area on Winkler Way off N.C. Highway 268 in Caldwell County. Zahra鈥檚 father Adam Baker took the recovered remains to be buried when he moved back to Australia in 2012.
Elisa Baker is currently incarcerated at Anson Correctional Institute, an all-female facility in Polkton, North Carolina.
