Investigators attribute GBI cold case unit to solving the 2001 killing of Tara Baker
Law enforcement agents on Monday attributed the new cold case unit of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as the key to solving the 23-year-old killing of Tara Louise Baker in Athens.
Baker was a first-year student at the University of Georgia law school when she was slain on Jan. 19, 2001 in her Athens home. The case went unsolved for more than two decades. But last week, police arrested 41-year-old Edrick Lamont Faust, an Athens resident who has been charged with murder, aggravated sodomy and arson in connection with Baker’s death.
“For over two decades, investigators have worked tirelessly to find answers for the family and friends of Tara Louise Baker, and bring some amount of closure and healing to this horrific event,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey during a news conference held Monday in Decatur, Georgia. “With an arrest in this investigation last week, it is my prayer that this process has begun.
"The recent events in the Tara Baker investigation also send a strong message that justice has no expiration, and law enforcement in the state of Georgia will never stop seeking answers to these tragic events.”
Athens-Clarke police Chief Jerry Saulters said he was a young patrol deputy at the time of Baker's death.
"It greatly affected our community, the university community and also the police department," he said. "... I thought and prayed that one day we would standing here to announce an arrest in this case."
Hosey said the arrest was made possible by a 2023 law that was partially named after Baker. The law, known as the Coleman-Baker Act, provided $5.4 million in funding to establish a cold case unit, with investigators stationed throughout Georgia who could reexamine old cases with fresh eyes.
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“In September of 2023, special agents of the GBI Cold Case Unit partnered with Athens-Clarke County investigators to conduct a tireless, in-depth review and analysis of the ongoing investigation into Tara’s death,” Hosey said. “In Tara’s case, it was biological evidence and DNA science combined with collaborative investigative work of our law enforcement partners that you see here today that brought us this result.”
Hosey declined to cite specific new evidence that came to light during the investigation, or disclose whether the case was connected to Faust through modern technology.
"What I will say as far as the details ... that got us here today is everything was reviewed, whether it be interviews, forensic evidence, whatever the case may be, and then I will stop with that for now," he said.
Western Judicial Circuit D.A. Deborah Gonzalez also spoke at the press conference, applauding the arrest.
“When I got into office, this was one of the three top cold cases that we had in our office just waiting for when a day like today would come,” Gonzalez said, adding that her office will be setting up a prosecution team for the case. “We know that this may not bring Tara back, but it will hopefully bring her family some closure, and also acknowledgement that we will put in the work to do this.”
State Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens), who sponsored the Coleman-Baker Act, thanked the Baker family for their advocacy, which he said will benefit other families trying to get justice for their loved ones.
“I can't imagine the journey that the family has gone through and will continue to go through,” Gaines said. “I know there'll be many more difficult days. But I want to say thank you to this family because not only are we here today for this important moment, but this is for so many other families as well.”
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Tara Baker cold case solved by new GBI cold case unit, police say
