More than 20 years ago, teenager Amy Baker disappeared after her car broke down near Interstate 95 in Fairfax County. Two days later, her body was found partially buried under a pile of leaves, strangled and brutally beaten.
Her killer remains on the loose.
On March 29, 1989, the 18-year-old Baker had been heading south toward her parents’ house after spending the evening with her aunt in Falls Church when her car stalled on the exit ramp near Backlick Road. She left the blue 1970 Volkswagen Beetle on the shoulder and started walking toward a nearby Exxon gas station.
Baker was reported missing the next morning when a state trooper found her car on the side of the road with its emergency lights flashing.
Police dispatched officers to look for Baker that day and used a helicopter to search the area.
Sue Baker, Amy’s mother, started making hand-written posters that read, “Have You Seen Amy Baker?”
When a day passed with no word from police, she and Amy’s aunt decided to look around the woods near I-95 themselves.
Tragically, it was Sue Baker who discovered her daughter’s body.
Police believe someone accosted Baker at the top of the exit ramp and forced her into the woods.
Over the years, suspects have been identified, but the case has not been solved.
Police were able to collect forensic evidence at the crime scene, which often helps revive an old investigation. But in this case, DNA testing has only exonerated a string of suspects from Virginia, Tennessee, New York and North Carolina.
Police have received calls about the case to the county’s Crime Solvers hot line, but they are still waiting for a tip that could break it open.
Anyone who was in the area at the time of the attack or has knowledge of the incident is urged to contact Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS.
A $26,000 private reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest and indictment in this case.
