Missing N.C. girl's dad jailed on warrants

HICKORY, N.C., Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Police said Monday they had locked up the father of missing North Carolina girl Zahra Baker on outstanding warrants for bad checks and missed court dates.

Adam Baker was not charged with anything related to the disappearance of his 10-year-old daughter from their home in Hickory.

The hunt for Zahra Baker, who hasn't been seen since Sept. 25, has led police to search a number of locations, including a Caldwell County landfill. The searches haven't produced any solid leads and police decided to execute the warrants, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported.

Hickory police said they knew about the father's warrants at the time the search began but had not taken any action because he was cooperating in his daughter's case.

The Observer said Baker's wife Elisa also faces bad-check charges out of Burke County. She also has been named a person of interest in Zahra's disappearance, and was jailed last week on charges of obstructing justice for allegedly writing a phony ransom note to throw investigators off track.