Desarae Wayne was a child when her mother left suddenly. Her departure left a void that has never been filled. And these days questions swirl through her thoughts.

Her mother, Theresa Baker, was spotlighted in our second Cold Cases series with the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.

The year was 1985 when a young mother and her three children were settling into a new life in the Midlothian area of Chesterfield County. About two months later, their lives were forever changed when Theresa fell victim to a killer. The 24-year-old went missing on Sept. 20, with her remains not being found until Feb. 8, 1986, in Mechanicsville.

According to the article, which appeared in our April 21 edition, Theresa left behind two boys, ages 7 and 1, and a 3-year-old girl. “The older child was raised by relatives in Pennsylvania, while the younger two children were adopted by non-relatives.” As for their father, he was incarcerated at the time of Theresa’s death.

On July 21, Desarae posted the following on Twitter:

Just found this…its my birth mom…Midlothian Exchange - News: Cold Case: Who killed Theresa Baker?: http://bit.ly/a5XCaf.

Due to the local connection, the article had appeared in the Midlothian Exchange, a sister newspaper.

After her tweet, there has been some communication, with the goal of a meeting with investigator Kevin LaPlaga.

Since the children were so young when Theresa died, attempting to track them down after all these years was not an issue when the article was being developed.

Today, however, that has changed. Desarae’s involvement just might serve as an incentive for someone to provide that tip that can make a difference to solving this case.

Like the Sheriff’s Office, Desarae has questions — but her stake is vastly different. She may have been young when she lost her mother, but she knows the face of that victim.
Theresa Baker was mom to her.

Can you help Desarae?