Episode 368: Zahra Baker

The First Degree

Alexis Linkletter and Jac Vanek

True Crime, Society & Culture, News

4.5 • 10K Ratings

🗓️ 10 September 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On the afternoon of October 9, 2010, police in Hickory, North Carolina, receive a report of a missing 10-year-old girl. Everyone in her life is desperate for her safe return. But as the search continues, it emerges that she hasn’t been seen outside the house for some time. Almost a month after the youngster is reported missing, her remains are found in nearby woods, her cause of death unknown. When a suspect is arrested, the community is stunned and appalled when it learns the gruesome and despicable details of what has befallen the young girl. In episode 368, Jac and Alexis detail the heartbreaking murder of Zahra Clare Baker, by someone who committed the most heinous and unforgivable of acts against a child, and the impact of catastrophic systemic failures when it comes to protecting our children. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree 🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee 👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The first degree.
0:02.8	First degree.
0:03.8	First degree.
0:04.4	First degree.
0:05.2	First degree.
0:06.3	First degree.
0:07.4	The first degree.
0:08.8	You see it on the news.
0:10.1	You see it on the paper.
0:11.1	You see it on Facebook.
0:13.2	These things are supposed to happen in movies, not in real life.
0:29.2	I just remember the first time I met Zara, she was the sweetest, kindest little soul ever.
0:33.2	Like, you would never know that she was going through a hard time at home. Like, she was just so sweet.
0:35.9	And I had a friend call me one night and he said, are you on your way up here?
0:45.0	And I said, no.
0:47.4	And he said, then don't come up here.
0:50.3	He was at my tanning salon.
0:52.4	And I said, fine.
0:53.9	He said, Lisa Baker just left here and left you a note and said, the note says she's going
1:02.4	to kill you.
1:03.8	And that following weekend, I get a call from my daddy.
1:10.2	And he said, Kim, the little girl that you used to bring over here to the house, she's missing.
	...

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