Relatives of 3 missing men gather to share advice, sustain their faith

Families hold on to hope

Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

MILLERSVILLE --No one has seen or heard from Travis Lee Baker in nearly five months. His car disappeared with him in April, and no calls have been made from his cell phone since.

Still, Baker's parents maintain hope that their son is alive.

"That's our main concern right now, finding Travis," said his father, Dwayne Baker. "You need to stay positive, and we're not giving up hope."

Travis Baker, 20, hasn't been seen since April 16, when he missed a lunch appointment in Catawba County with his girlfriend and failed to show up for work that evening.

Investigators at the Catawba County Sheriff's Office suspect foul play in Baker's disappearance and have followed more than 100 tips in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Texas and Nebraska, said Capt. Roy Brown.

But Brown said the Sheriff's Office doesn't have any suspects in Baker's disappearance.

"We've eliminated a lot of leads, but we're no closer to finding him," he said Tuesday. "So far, it's been fairly frustrating."

Meanwhile, Baker's parents, Dwayne and Patricia, are doing what they can to stay positive about their son's whereabouts.

On Tuesday afternoon, they hosted a gathering at their Alexander County home with the families of two other missing men, shared their experiences about working with law enforcement and talked about hope.

"If you don't have faith, it will drive you crazy," said Lisa Miller, whose 61-year-old father, Wayne Conner, disappeared more than four years ago.

Conner, a Claremont native, was last seen sitting at the bar of the Boxcar Grille, a few miles from where authorities think Baker was last seen.

Belinda Smith's nephew, Dedrick Smith of Winston-Salem, has been missing since October, when he left his family's home in his 1993 turquoise Grand Am. Like Baker, no one has seen her nephew or his car since he walked out of his home more than 11 months ago.

"No news is good news," Belinda Smith recalled a Winston-Salem investigator telling her. "(He said), `Since I don't have anything to give you, you can still have hope.' "

All three men regularly called family, and it was unusual to not hear from them at least once a day, families of Baker, Smith and Conner said.

Authorities suspect foul play in all three cases but do not have any suspects.

Investigators at the Catawba County Sheriff's Office have been looking for Baker and his 1998, two-door red Camaro for nearly five months. They have searched by helicopter and scoured Lake Norman, Lake Hickory and Lake Overlook.

His mother, Patricia Baker, often sits on her son's bed at the Millersville home and flips through his high school yearbook. His 14-year-old brother doesn't talk much about the disappearance, Dwayne Baker said, but will pick out shirts to wear from his brother's closet.

But not knowing what happened to their son or if they'll ever find him, Dwayne Baker said, has been the hardest part.

"If someone were to tell me today that Travis was found dead, oh that would hurt," he said, "but it wouldn't hurt as much as not knowing. At least we'd have closure."

Baker's family and the Kristen Foundation, a group that offers support to the families of missing adults, is offering a $15,000 reward for information that leads to Travis Baker's whereabouts, said foundation director Joan Petruski.

Baker has dark brown hair, blue eyes and four tattoos, including his last name in capital letters across his back, the name "Hallie" on his chest, and red and black bands on his upper arms. His Camaro has a license plate number of WRP 8627.

Anyone with information about Travis Baker or Wayne Conner should call the Sheriff's Office at 828-464-5241. Those with information about Dedrick Smith should call the Winston-Salem Police Department at 336-773-7700.

Anyone with information about Baker, Conner or Smith can call the Community United Effort Center for Missing Persons at 910-232-1687.


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