Missing Columbia girl, 13, found dead inside unoccupied home. Her death was a homicide

Zak Koeske
·1 min read

A body found Wednesday night inside an unoccupied home in northeast Columbia has been identified as a missing 13-year-old girl, the Richland County coroner announced Friday.

Ka’Niyah Baker’s death has been ruled a homicide, Coroner Naida Rutherford said in a statement.

“Any death is heartbreaking but it’s even more challenging to understand when it is a child,” Rutherford said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends. Our team will continue to collaborate with law enforcement as we continue to investigate this homicide.”

Columbia firefighters discovered the girl’s body shortly before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday after responding to a small structure fire inside a home in the 100 block of Cardamon Court, Columbia police posted Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Fire department spokesman Mike DeSumma confirmed Friday that firefighters responded to the property and put out a small fire, but referred all other questions to Columbia police.

A police spokeswoman said investigators were “working leads” in the case, but otherwise didn’t provide any information beyond what the department posted on X Thursday.

Baker had been last seen Monday on Auburnleaf Drive in Hopkins, about 15 miles from where her body was found, according to information released Thursday by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether authorities believe the girl died as a result of the fire or was killed prior to it.

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