Missing tot, Emma Leigh Barker, found deceased

**Unamused Cat** · March 19th, 2009, 09:57 PM

Emma Leigh Barker

A toddler whose mother said the girl had been abducted during a violent attack was dumped near a San Fernando Valley freeway, according to L.A. County sheriff's homicide detectives who are investigating the 18-month-old girl's death.

Authorities said the body was dumped near the 5 Freeway sometime in the last 24 hours. The Sheriff's Department spent most of last night trying to find the child. But detectives found several inconsistencies in the mother's story and received information that suggested Emma Leigh Barker was in Mission Hills and was dead.

The mother is cooperating with investigators and is not now a suspect. But Lt. Pat Nelson told reporters that might change as the investigation continues.

Stacy Barker told detectives that she was at Lancaster City Park on Wednesday sometime after 5 p.m. placing her daughter in a car seat and was knocked unconscious after hitting her head on the steering wheel.

She told detectives that she awoke about 10:30 p.m., slumped over in the seat of her car at a Palmdale park-and-ride, and discovered Emma was missing. The mother's brother called authorities, and deputies were dispatched to the Avenue S Park-n-Ride.

Deputies found the mother semiconscious and partly undressed with visible contusions on her head, officials said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...oddler-wa.html

**Misskittychaos** · March 19th, 2009, 10:07 PM

This is so sad, but yet I hate to admit it..my hinky meter is trilling...

**Unamused Cat** · March 19th, 2009, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by Misskittychaos

This is so sad, but yet I hate to admit it..my hinky meter is trilling...

Mine too. I'm interested to see who the killer, ahem... mother is.

**Castille** · March 19th, 2009, 10:21 PM

Well the inconsistancy would be... who the hell would knock their own head on the steering wheel and thus have contusions and be partly undressed? If her story is even half true there's another unmentioned party here. So who is she protecting?

**moonlilly1981** · March 19th, 2009, 10:29 PM

She was such a pretty little thing

**Unamused Cat** · March 20th, 2009, 12:47 AM

Found the mother's name and MySpace: Stacey Barker

MySpace w/semi nude photos: (I think she thinks she is a model.) www.myspace.com/442955581

Stacy and Emma Barker

**ImmortalOne** · March 20th, 2009, 12:59 AM

My Itty Bit is this little ones age... This breaks my heart. Now I remember why I do not visit too often. I hate the human race as a whole and it pisses me off that people are blessed with these beautiful children and have no appreciation for the gifts they have been given.

**penelopejo** · March 20th, 2009, 11:48 AM

Hmmmm....her myspace says: likes her new someone in her life <3 Mood: voluminous on 1:38 AM Feb 17....or, it could be a stalker....

**Dakota Valkyrie** · March 20th, 2009, 12:35 PM

''She said she remembered putting her daughter in the car and then somehow hitting her head on the steering wheel and blacking out,'' said Lt. Vince Carter of the Palmdale station. ''The next thing she was aware of is waking up at the park-n-ride with injuries and her daughter missing.''

...
That location does not have any surveillance cameras on site, authorities said.

Carter said his deputies were dispatched to the park-n-ride and the young mother told them she had been with her daughter at the Lancaster park.

One thing that is consistent with Barker's stories is that the young mother did have injuries to her head.

''She had contusions on her head and was taken to the hospital for treatment,'' Carter said.

However, if the sheriff's department knows how Barker was injured they're not saying. And it was those injuries that initially slowed down the search for the missing girl, Carter explained.

http://www.mydesert.com/article/2009...07/1263/update

Hinky all over on this. Autopsy is today.

**MadmamainNC** · March 20th, 2009, 01:16 PM

All she had to do was tear her own clothes and head butt the steering wheel herself.

If some attacker went through the trouble of doing the above to steal the baby, they most certainly wouldn't kill the baby and dump it.

That's where the hinky meter goes off. If the baby wasn't found, she may have skirted under LE radar.

Very sad for the little one. And this is why I have issues with God being the one who chooses a child being born to such monsters. Why? Would love that one explained to me?

**tonilj80** · March 20th, 2009, 01:24 PM

Very odd story. I'll be interested in finding out how this story turns out.

**Insomniac** · March 20th, 2009, 01:26 PM

If she killed her daughter, and the possibility is likely from what it sounds like, then this fucking cunt should have bashed her head hard enough against the steering wheel to kill herself.

Rest in peace baby Emma.

**Silvahalo** · March 20th, 2009, 01:57 PM

My first feeling is she's protecting herself or someone else....obviously not her daughter.

The pictures on her myspace of baby Emma tug at my heart. She seemed adore her daughter very much, those photos are beautiful. Still, we have seen time and time again, that pictures can be deceiving, that a once loved baby can turn into a burden. I hope she didn't kill this precious one...what happened that she would die this way? I want answers, my son is 18 months, and I just can't imagine him found dead on the side of the road.

Sweet Emma, you were such a blessing and a treasure...look at the light of life once found in those eyes...sigh.
Your mama should have held you to her and never let you go.

Beautiful Emma, you deserved a happy life and all that it might hold. What might have you become? ...kisses sweet angel.

**guntotin' liberal** · March 20th, 2009, 02:09 PM

Such a lovely baby. I truly hope it wasn't the mom.

**thebooblady** · March 20th, 2009, 02:12 PM

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...ler-death.html

The mother has recanted and said the baby died in an "accident". She panicked and dumped her on the side of the road. I'll bet $20 she left her in the hot car.

**Silvahalo** · March 20th, 2009, 02:32 PM

Booblady, thanks for that update. Just finished posting and I can't get this sweet child out of my mind.

So now she's saying she died in an "accident". Well, with all the Casey Anthony media coverage, I bet she panicked thinking no one will believe her...

Wonder what kind of accident and if it was truly an accident....still, I could never leave my childs body like that, just dumped like trash.

Kisses sweet one....so sorry.

**Tazzzz** · March 20th, 2009, 03:13 PM

What a shame, this story breaks my heart, especially after the mom dumps her own dead child on the side of the road. Even if it was accidental , look at how much more damage she did to her loved ones. Her parents were on TV for fucks sake, bawling and crying there eyes out, asking for the return of there granddaughter.

The news article said there was no visible signs of trauma on Emma. And there was a 5 hour period the mom was supposably unconscious. 5PM to 10:30PM.

Authorities said it appeared the girl's 25-pound body had been dumped sometime over the previous 24 hours and showed no visible signs of trauma.

Barker initially told detectives she was at Lancaster City Park on Wednesday sometime after 5 p.m. and was placing her daughter in a car seat when she was knocked unconscious after hitting her head on the steering wheel.

She told detectives she awoke about 10:30 p.m., slumped over in the seat of her car at a Palmdale park-and-ride and discovered Emma was missing. The mother's brother called authorities, and deputies were dispatched to the Avenue S Park-n-Ride.

R.I.P. Emma

**penelopejo** · March 20th, 2009, 03:17 PM

sounds like after she dumped the body, she came up with plan to commit suicide. therefore she took pills, beat herself up, then passed out assuming that she was going to die. But she did not and i guess couldn't put herself through that again.

Although, that status that she had made that I quote above sounds somewhat fishy. I don't understand why a mother would throw their child away.

I hope we hear something soon. Especially on how the child passed. She was beautiful.

**Tazzzz** · March 20th, 2009, 03:34 PM

Here is were they found Emma's body at.

When police discovered the toddler's body dumped by the side of a road in Sylmar, near the Golden State Freeway.

The girl's body was found near Roxford Street and El Dorado Avenue, concealed by deep overgrown brush alongside a fence.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,6966408.story

**penelopejo** · March 20th, 2009, 03:41 PM

I'm wondering if anyone saw anyone in that area. That bush seems to be very overgrown and I'm sure it looked funny to see people in there looking for something. Maybe someone saw something. Here's to hoping.

**Tazzzz** · March 20th, 2009, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by penelopejo

I'm wondering if anyone saw anyone in that area. That bush seems to be very overgrown and I'm sure it looked funny to see people in there looking for something. Maybe someone saw something. Here's to hoping.

The mom hid the body pretty good, the news article says the cops only found the location out from someone.

The interviews conducted by detectives somehow produced the location where the toddler's body was eventually found. But the department is remaining mum on how that information was obtained.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++

This article says it was the mom who told the cops were she was.

Emma Leigh Barker's mother told investigators that her daughter's death "was the result of an accident and she had `panicked,' " sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht said in a statement.

"Believing she would be blamed for her daughter's death, she dumped her body in some tall weeds in the area adjacent to the Golden State (5) Freeway in Sylmar," Hecht said.

Stacey Barker, 20, directed investigators to her daughter's remains in the late morning hours on Thursday, Hecht said.

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/loca...ddler_20090320

**penelopejo** · March 20th, 2009, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by Tazzzz

The mom hid the body pretty good, the news article says the cops only found the location out from someone.

Exactly. Someone saw something. Someone had to have seen her in those bushes putting something there. Like I said, it must've sure looked funny seeing a girl in the bushes "looking" for something.

**Marv** · March 20th, 2009, 04:40 PM

"Believing she would be blamed for her daughter's death, she dumped her body in some tall weeds in the area adjacent to the Golden State (5) Freeway in Sylmar," Hecht said.

So this womans first impulse on finding her daughter dead due to some 'accident' was to cover her own ass. Instead of taking the baby to the hospital, or calling the police, she takes her daughters body and dumps it in some tall weeds by the side of a road and comes up with some half-baked story.

If the whole 'accident' story is true, how was she not totally consumed by grief? How was she even able to function well enough to conceive of the plan to dump the body and make up that story? I cant imagine being in that tragic situation, and the only thought on my mind being "how do I cover this up? Where can I dump her?"

That baby was so beautiful, so precious.

RIP sweet little Emma. xx

**Silvahalo** · March 20th, 2009, 04:46 PM

I can only imagine the terrible grief the grandparents and family are going through right now...
I hope this mother does the one thing that could give every one some peace...tell the truth woman, every last bit, no matter how hard. At least do that for your baby girl.

What could have happened that this sweet baby lay dead in the brush...well, I guess we know how she got there, but how she died?...

Rest with the angels sweet heart...

**totallytoddler** · March 20th, 2009, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by ohmarvellousme!

So this womans first impulse on finding her daughter dead due to some 'accident' was to cover her own ass. Instead of taking the baby to the hospital, or calling the police, she takes her daughters body and dumps it in some tall weeds by the side of a road and comes up with some half-baked story.

If the whole 'accident' story is true, how was she not totally consumed by grief? How was she even able to function well enough to conceive of the plan to dump the body and make up that story? I cant imagine being in that tragic situation, and the only thought on my mind being "how do I cover this up? Where can I dump her?"

That baby was so beautiful, so precious.

RIP sweet little Emma. xx

Ask Casey Anthony...she can probably answer your questions.

What a beautiful little girl.....

Emma

**Sister Iroz** · March 20th, 2009, 05:35 PM

That is one of the prettiest babies I have ever seen. I can't imagine the mother harming that pretty baby so it must have been an accident. But why wouldn't she just take her baby to the hospital and if she was scared why dump the baby she had to know the baby would be found. I guess maybe she was attempting suicide and was hoping she would die and it wouldn't matter. How she could dump her child if it was her is beyond me so very sad and sick. May she RIP. I hope we find out something soon. Oh, so sweet this baby was.

**buggysmommy** · March 20th, 2009, 06:29 PM

This woman is an insult to every mother on earth.

How can you leave your poor baby in a nasty, cold dark place where bugs qwould crawl all over her. You left Emma alone-all night long. ALONE, BY HERSELF. She died and you killed her a second time by letting her down and leaving her alone without her blankets or favorite toy.

I don't know what happened to her-and it may well have been an accident. But I can assure you that if my baby had died suddenly-the only thing I would do is hold her and nver want to let go. She would have to be pried out of my arms.

So for leaving her alone, in a ditch with nothing but some dirty grass to cover her-FUCK YOU! I hope that decision haunts you for the rest of your days...

**tricia381** · March 20th, 2009, 06:58 PM

I fucking hate people! Accident my ass. If it were an accident, take her to a hospital dont dump her little body on the side of the road. Stupid cunt.

**Harley_Tech** · March 20th, 2009, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by Tazzzz

"Believing she would be blamed for her daughter's death, she dumped her body in some tall weeds in the area adjacent to the Golden State (5) Freeway in Sylmar," Hecht said.

Isn't it crazy how they always fear they will be blamed, then take actions that assure they will be blamed?

R

**Kaylara** · March 20th, 2009, 09:42 PM

If she'd actually hit her head on the steering wheel hard enough to be unconscious for five hours, I doubt that she would have remembered hitting her head on the steering wheel or even putting her child in the car. No wonder the police didn't believe her explanation.

I wonder what really did happen to that little girl.