Stepmom Beat, Locked Up Missing Girl, Kin Say

Two distant relatives of Zahra Clare Baker asserted on "The Early Show" Tuesday that her stepmother had something to do with the 10-year-old North Carolina girl's disappearance this weekend.

Brittany Bentley, who is married to the nephew of Elisa Baker, Zahra's stepmother, said she believes Elisa played a role in Zahra's disappearance.

"Elisa had something to do with it. I just think this is something for a long time that we knew was going to happen -- everybody that was close to the family."

Bentley said she thinks this could be the case based on the miserable home environment in which Zahra lived.

She said, "She was locked in her room, allowed five minutes to eat, that was it. She was beaten almost every time I was over there for just -- just the smallest things. Lisa would get mad and take it out on Zahra -- things the kid didn't deserve. She just had a horrible home life. One time, I remember she had a black eye and she said it was from the door. But we all knew, suspected it was from Elisa."

"Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez said, "Wow. She was locked in her room all day? She was beaten? Did anyone -- did her father, for example, try to stop this or did anyone report this to authorities?"

Bentley responded, "That's the crazy thing. I never saw Adam spank her, punish her, do anything. But he would sit there and watch Elisa do it to his child. He would just sit there and not say anything. Yes, her daughter actually reported to DSS (North Carolina Division of Social Services), and they came. I don't know how much was done. But yes, it was reported."

Police say time is running out in the search for Zahra. The little girl suffers from bone cancer, and one thing that's making the search difficult is officials aren't sure how long she's really been missing.

CBS News correspondent Whit Johnson reported from Hickory, N.C., that police said no one beyond Baker's immediate family had seen Zahra in weeks.

Police and the FBI are still trying to piece together a timeline of the disappearance. Around 2 p.m. Saturday, Adam Baker called police to report his daughter missing. He also told investigators that his wife said she last saw Zahra asleep in her bed about 12 hours earlier.

Zahra's bone cancer has left her with hearing aids in both ears and a prosthetic leg. Both her hearing aids were found in the home. Neighbors say they hadn't seen the girl outside the house in weeks.

Investigators found what they believe to be a ransom note addressed to her father's boss, and while authorities haven't ruled out the possibility of a random kidnapping, they have their doubts about the note, which read in part, "We have your daughter and your son is next unless you do what is asked. 1,000,000 unmarked will be in touch soon."

Chief Tom Adkins, of the Hickory Police Department, told CBS News, "We are questioning the validity of that note. We have no further demands from that note."

On Sunday, police arrested Elisa Baker on unrelated charges. Later that night, a search warrant revealed police dogs detected the smell of human remains in two of the Bakers' cars.

Johnson added a fire was reported at the Bakers' home the same day Zahra was reported missing. He said police admit this is a complicated case, with many layers, and they need more help from the public to put the pieces together.

Investigators say they found inconsistencies in the Bakers' stories and have not ruled them out as suspects in Zahra's disappearance.

Kim Drum, Brittany's mother, said on "The Early Show" she had suspected Zahra's stepmother from the beginning.

She said, "I knew it from the moment my father had called and told me -- this is Elisa."

As for the evidence police say they found at the home, Smith pointed out they found Zahra's hearing aids, but have not said anything about her prosthetic leg. Is that unusual?

Drum said, "That's -- that's what's completely made it unusual to me. Zahra, when she spent the night with us -- and she stayed with us a lot -- an hour before she would go to bed, she would put her pajamas on and always take her leg off. It was just -- it was a routine for her. She never, ever went to bed with her leg on."

Rodriguez remarked, "I can't imagine what it must have been like for a child to endure, if she did endure what you say she went through, plus have this bone cancer that has robbed her of her hearing and a leg. How did she handle her disabilities, Brittany? Was she kind of a miserable child or was she a happy child, in spite of this?"

Bentley said, "Oh, no, she was a happy child. … She was an amazing child. She was never angry, depressed. Always happy. Always loving. So I didn't understand. The only time I ever saw any anger in her is when she would come stay with us on the weekends. When it was time for her to leave, she would just get mad. 'I hate you, I hate you.' I explained to her mother, I understand why, because she didn't want to go home. Because her home life was miserable."