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Merced man, 49, missing: only his luggage arrived By MIKE CONWAY BEE STAFF WRITER Published: April 12, 2003, 07:40:25 AM PDT MERCED -- On April 4, John Edward Baker boarded a Greyhound bus bound for Arkansas to visit the children he had not seen for 20 years. Baker's luggage arrived, but there was no sign of the 49-year-old Merced man. "His children were waiting there at the station with a banner that said, 'Welcome home, Dad,'" Baker's sister, Patricia Carrow, said. "His suitcases made it, and he didn't." Carrow said she thinks her brother got mugged for his wallet. "There's no prior history of him being missing," Merced police Detective Harry Markarian said. "This is unusual for him." Markarian said Baker did not have any known mental problems, emotional troubles or history of substance abuse. His family said he would not have stopped along the way, because he doesn't know anybody between here and Arkansas. Police entered Baker's information into a national missing person database, but nothing has turned up, Markarian said. Baker has a limp from polio and mild Parkinson's disease, Carrow said. The medications he needs were found in his suitcases. "The bus had many stops," Markarian said. Baker also would have needed to transfer in Los Angeles, Dallas and Monroe, Ark. The bus Baker was supposed to be on arrived at 6 p.m. Sunday, with one piece of his luggage, Markarian said. The second suitcase arrived the following day. "In February his children called and said they wanted to see him," Carrow said. "They said, 'Dad, move back here,' and he said, 'Yeah,' and I put him on a bus and that was it." Baker separated from his wife more than two decades ago. He last saw his children, John, now 26, and Tanya, now 25, when they were living in Gustine. "He's ridden the bus before. Never had any problems. That's what's shocking," Carrow said. "But he had money in his wallet." Police described Baker as 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. Investigators ask anyone with information on the case to call Markarian, 385-4756. Bee staff writer Mike Conway can be reached at 381-0208 or [log in to unmask] Tom Berdine President Young Onset Parkinson's Association(YOPA) www.yopa.org Founder YoungParkinsons.com www.YoungParkinsons.com Diagnosed in 2000 @ 33 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.465 / Virus Database: 263 - Release Date: 3/25/2003 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn