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January 9th, 2001, that's the last time anyone ever saw Chattanooga native Garrison Baker.
He was last seen near his Grandmother's house at 413 Derby Street. But this is not just a missing person's case. Detectives believe someone killed Garrison Baker.
Detective Joe Shaw of the Chattanooga Police Department says, "Everyone that was familiar with Mr. Baker pretty much assumed that he was deceased, because he hadn't been heard from for a year and a half. And then theories and rumors started surfacing. A lot of those indicated that he was actually murdered."
When Garrison Baker disappeared, the case was not reported to police for a year and a half. Baker's wife thought his mother had reported him missing, and the mother thought his wife reported him missing. Baker was also known to move around a lot, and never stayed in one place very long.
Because of those facts, Police got a late start on their investigation. But here's what they do know. Baker would have been 37-years old now. He grew up in Chattanooga, and has friends and family in the area. But police say as he got older, he turned to a life of drugs and criminal activity.
Detective Shaw notes, "Some of the people that he was associating with around the time of his disappearance have turned out to be some very unscrupulous characters."
That criminal element may have played a part in his disappearance and possible death. Detective Shaw believes whoever is responsible for Mr. Baker's disappearance could now be in prison.
He's hoping that with the possible suspects behind bars, someone will come forward with the information detectives need.
"Really we're just, just looking for some concrete evidence," points out Detective Shaw. "Some people that have first hand knowledge of what happened to Mr. Baker, so we can close this case."
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