Sara Jo Mowrey, an 82-year-old woman, was last seen at her home in a senior community in Laguna Niguel, California, on the evening of January 12, 2009. She vanished without a trace, leaving behind nearly all of her personal belongings, including her medication, hearing aids, walker, and purse. The only items she reportedly took with her were her wheelchair and keys.
However, the leg supports she needed to operate the wheelchair were left at her residence, raising immediate concerns about the nature of her disappearance.
Investigators quickly suspected foul play due to the unusual circumstances surrounding her disappearance and inconsistencies discovered in her checking account in the week leading up to when she was last seen. Authorities launched a search for a silver 2002 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with a camper shell that belonged to Mowrey's grandson, Michael Wesley Baker, who was the last person known to have seen her. The truck was located a few days later, being driven by an acquaintance of Baker's who was on parole for narcotics offenses. The driver was arrested on unrelated charges, and the truck was impounded for forensic analysis. Despite the suspicions of foul play, a landfill search for Mowrey's body yielded no evidence.
Years later, a significant breakthrough occurred in the case. In September 2014, Michael Wesley Baker was charged with his grandmother's murder and three counts of solicitation to commit murder. Authorities believe that Baker killed Mowrey in her home on the night she disappeared and then disposed of her body in a nearby trash bin. A witness allegedly confronted Baker while he was dumping the body but did not come forward to the police for several years. Baker was also accused of attempting to hire someone to kill this witness. In January 2018, Baker pleaded no contest to reduced charges of solicitation of murder of a witness and being an accessory after the fact to murder.Last Seen: Jan 12, 2009
