Shannon Dedrick found alive, babysitter faces charges

November 5, 7:13 AMCentral Florida Crime ExaminerW. Scott Bowlin

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Shannon Dedrick photo
(Washington County Sheriff's Office/AP Photo)

Following in the infamous Balloon Boy’s footsteps, Shannon Dedrick was found alive and well. Baby sitter Susan Elizabeth Baker, her husband James Arthur Baker, and the child's mother, Chrystina Lynn Mercer; all face charges. The father has not been charged, but investigation is still underway.

Shannon was reported missing by her parents missing around 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 31. They told authorities that they had not seen her since about 3 a.m. that morning.

Law enforcement agents and volunteers searched the area, including the woods around the parent’s home. On Wednesday they searched Baker’s home and found 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick in a box, surrounded by items intended to hide her, underneath a bed at Baker's home near Chipley, Florida. The child is now in protective custody.

Susan Elizabeth Baker was convicted of assault in South Carolina in 1987, and questioned but not indicted in 2000 for a 3-year-old child's disappearance, also in 1987.