A 13-Year-Old’s Brutal Murder, the Teen Girls Who Were Arrested, and What Parents Can Learn

USA Today
By Rachel Hale
1/24/25

A 13-Year-Old's Brutal Murder, the Teen Girls Who Were Arrested, and What Parents Can Learn

“Brutal, heinous, vicious, gruesome, monstrous and disturbing.”

Those are the opening words Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook used to describe the killing of a 13-year-old Ka’Niyah Baker, whose body was found on Jan. 15 in an abandoned South Carolina house. Police arrested and charged two girls, aged 15 and 16, with murder in the homicide case.

Baker’s body was found 20 miles away from where she was previously reported missing from foster care, according to comments Holbrook made in a Jan. 18 press conference. Baker suffered traumatic injuries and was severely burned to the point visual identification was not possible, according to Holbrook and Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford. Rutherford said the coroner’s office used clothing and dental records to extract DNA and confirm Baker’s identity.

The incident raises questions about a rise in teen homicides and the social determinants of health that impact youth violence. Both teen suspects were frequent runaways who had dropped out of high school. The 16-year-old has a history of disorderly conduct and was wanted by the Department of Juvenile Justice for cutting off her ankle monitor. Both girls were also charged with arson, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and desecration of human remains.

“All of the girls involved had some sort of affiliation with systems that were supposed to protect them, and I believe the system failed all three of these young women,” Rutherford told USA Today, adding that shrinking allocation of mental health resources has contributed to the problem.

The number of young people ages 12 to 17 killed by homicides nearly doubled between 2019 and 2022 from 717 deaths in 2018 to 1,409 in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Youth Violence Tied to Children's Environments, Social Determinants of Health

University of South Carolina Criminology and Criminal Justice Professor Hayden Smith said the case indicates there was presence of underlying trauma for all three girls involved. He said rising youth violence is tied to children’s environments and social determinants of health, such as access to stable housing and education.

“Even beyond a traumatic event like this, for the group of people who are exposed to these adverse childhood experiences, they tend to last a lifetime, unless you can counterbalance with resiliency, certain skills, stability and positive experiences,” Smith said.

Having adverse childhood experiences, or ACES, before the age of 18 can lead to lifelong physical and mental impacts, according to Smith. Three in four high school students reported experiencing one or more ACEs in the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the CDC.

ACES include experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect, witnessing violence in the home or community or having a family member attempt or die by suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Environmental factors, like growing up with substance use and mental health problems, instability due to a household member being incarcerated or growing up in a household with parental separation, can also impact children’s brain development and decision-making.

Experts say investing money in the welfare system, foster care system, and devoting attention and trained professionals to vulnerable youth can help mitigate youth violence. Smith said cognitive behavioral therapies have emerged as the best approach to ACES, but must be combined with environmental changes and the stable, positive influence of mentors and peers.

In the wake of the incident, members of local government and law enforcement addressed the homicide in connection with system support for youth mental health.

City Manager of Columbia Teresa Wilson said Baker's death shook her to her core and called on community members and parents to support the city's youth and young mothers.

"I am reminded by this senseless act and other recent events in our city of the importance of being present in our children’s lives and creating a safe, nurturing environment for them to grow and thrive," Wilson shared in an Instagram post. "Our city is at its strongest when we engage with one another, invest in our communities, and work together to reduce youth violence."

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