Just after returning to classes at the University of Georgia for the spring semester, Tara Baker heads to the law library for a study session. At a quarter to 10, Baker calls her friend from the library to make sure she got home safe, mentioning she's heading home shortly. The next morning, Baker misses her 9:30 class.

In the mid-morning hours of January 19th, Athens-Clarke County firefighters are called to an apartment fire at 160 Fawn Drive. Firefighters break down a locked door to access the unit, and find a fire had broken out in the bedroom and burned through the roof. Among the rubble, fire-fighters discover the body of a young woman, later identified as first-year law student Tara Louise Baker.

Police do not release Baker’s cause of death, but tell the public they believe she was murdered, the attacker a stranger to Baker. Investigators consider the possibility that Baker’s murder is connected to a Christmas day arson at a complex just a block from Baker’s. No one was home when someone entered the unit and set fire to a pile of clothes. Police also look at Baker’s boyfriend, but he passes a polygraph test and his alibi is confirmed. Investigators focus on a theory that a stranger broke into Baker’s apartment. Police reveal that Baker was beaten, stabbed, strangled, and potentially sexually assaulted.

23 years after Tara Baker’s body is found in her burning apartment, the GBI in partnership with Athens-Clarke County Police arrest a man suspected of her murder. Edrick Faust, 48, is put behind bars for 9 charges related to Baker’s sexual assault and murder.

Joining Nancy Grace Today:

• Fran Longwell - Former Deputy State’s Attorney (Calvert County, MD), Former Assistant State’s Attorney (Prince George’s County, MD) Deputy States attorney in Calvert County specializing in child abuse, sex offenses and homicides
• Dr. Angela Arnold - (Atlanta, GA) Psychiatrist, Expert in the Treatment of Pregnant/Postpartum Women, Former Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynecology: Emory University, Former Medical Director of The Psychiatric Ob-Gyn Clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital, Voted My Buckhead’s Best Psychiatric Practice of 2024, AngelaArnoldMD.com
• Shera LaPoint - Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogist with DNA Labs International, Author: “The Gene Hunter”
• Nicolle Brock - Firefighter, EMT, and arson expert
• Sheryl McCollum- Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder, ColdCaseCrimes.org, Host of new podcast: Zone 7, Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Dr. Kendall Crowns- Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University
• Alexis Tereszcuk –(CA) CrimeOnline.com Investigative Reporter, Writer/Fact Checker, leadstories.com, @swimmie2009

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