April 14, 2025 • 29 mins
MISSING: Pregnant Mother | Emma Baum | Imagine this: It’s a quiet evening. The sun has dipped below the horizon, and the world is settling into its usual rhythms. Somewhere, a young woman is walking alone, her thoughts likely on the mundane details of her day. Maybe she’s on her way home. Maybe she’s meeting a friend. And then—she vanishes. No witnesses. No struggle. No trace. Just…gone. This is the story of Emma Baum. A story of a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, who one day disappeared without a trace. A story that has left her family shattered, her community shaken, and investigators baffled. What happened to Emma Baum? Was she taken? Did she leave on her own? Or is there something even darker at play? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bOkoAdf-0Q https://www.newsbreak.com/daily-mail-560402/3767485159531-family-of-missing-pregnant- mother-reveal-their-dark-suspicions-about-her-vanishing-as-they-fight-eviction New York Post Pregnant Woman, 25, Has Been Missing for Over a Month, Family Continues Search Fox 32 Chicago (11) Help Find Emma Baum Missing/ The truth | Facebook
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
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Speaker 2 (01:08):
Hey guys, it's Jewels from True Crime and Headlines with
Jewels and jen Hey, Hi, glad you're here. Guess what
We're excited to finally share with you that we're going
to Crime con Denver, but this year we're going as creators.
So we're going to have a booth for Fireeyzed Media,
which is our new podcast network, women owned and operated,
which we're so proud of, and we will also be showcasing.
(01:29):
All of our podcasts are mostly focusing on missing and
hushtam and true crime and headlines. So if you're going
to crime con let us know and make sure you
come see us so we can give you a button,
a sticker wristban a hug and make it awkward. Okay,
let's out for the ADU. Shall we get to our
episode today. Let's go the Vanishing of Emma Baum, A
(01:59):
search for an imagine this. It's a quiet evening, the
sun has dipped below the horizon and the world is
settling into its usual rhythms. Somewhere, a young woman is
walking alone, her thoughts likely on the mundane details of
her day. Maybe she's on her way home, maybe she's
off to meet a friend. And then she vanishes. She
(02:22):
just vanishes. No witnesses, no struggle, no trace, just gone.
This is the story of Emma Bomb, A story of
a young woman with her whole life ahead of her,
who one day disappeared without a trace. A story that
has left her family shattered, her community shaken, and investigators baffled.
What happened to Emma bamb Was she taken, did she
(02:45):
leave on her own? Or is there something even darker
at play? In today's episode, you guys were going to
dig in deep together into this haunting case. Will uncover
the facts, explore some theories, and examine the heartbreaking ripple
effects of her disappearance. Stay with me, because the story
you're about to hear might just hold the answer someone
(03:06):
has been searching for. To understand the significance of Emma
Baum's disappearance, we first need to know who Emma was,
not just the circumstances of her vanishing, but the person
behind the name. Emma Baumb was a twenty five year
old mother living in Gary, Indiana. She wasn't just someone
who disappeared. She was a mother of three young children,
(03:29):
children who are now left wondering where their mommy has gone.
And at the time of her disappearance, Emma was nine
months pregnant with her fourth child. That's right, she was
on the verge of welcoming a new life into the world,
you guys, as a moment that should have been filled
with hope and joy. Instead, it's now marked by questions
(03:49):
and fear. Emma was described physically as a petite woman,
standing just five foot three inches tall and weighing around
one hundred thirty six pounds. She had brown hair and
brown eyes, though she was known to wear wigs in
different styles and colors, often experimenting with her look. She
had several scars on her arms and a number of tattoos,
marks that made her stand out and told her story
(04:12):
in ways which words couldn't. Emma was last seen near
twenty fifth Avenue in Connecticut Street in Gary. She had
reportedly been visiting her boyfriend at the time, and this
wasn't just an ordinary visit, you guys. It was one
of her last known movements before she vanished. Her family
describes her as a devoted mother who always tried to
(04:34):
do her best for her kids. They've been relentless in
their search for her, distributing flyers, organizing search efforts, and
scouring abandoned houses for any sign of her. Her disappearance
has left an enormous void, not only in her children's lives,
but in the lives of everyone who knew and loved her.
Emma's story is one of heartbreak, but it's also one
(04:57):
of love, a love so fears that her family refuses
to give up. Her mother said, quote, We're always going
to look for her. I'm never going to stop looking
for her end quote. And that determination, folks, is what
keeps this case alive. I don't know if you're aware
of how often podcasts listen to each other. We love
(05:19):
this community. We support each other. We listen to each
other's cases all the time, and then we tell each other,
please cover this case. This family needs your help. This
true crime community, we have this network of advocates, and
we really want to share these stories. So when one
podcast does an ethical story on a case and talks
about a victim and their family, oftentimes more podcasts pick
(05:42):
up that case as well. So I want to encourage
other podcasters who may be listening to please pick up
this case as well and reach out to us, and
we'll be more than happy to share our notes with you.
So she wasn't just a missing person. She was a person, period,
someone with hopes, dreams in a future that she never
got to see. On October tenth, twenty twenty four, that's right,
(06:05):
just a few months ago, you guys. October tenth, twenty
twenty four. It started like any other day for Emma Baum.
It was a Thursday, a day with routine plans and
the quiet rhythms of life in Gary, Indiana. But it's
also the last day anyone saw her. Emma was nine
(06:25):
months pregnant, just weeks, you know, maybe days. You know,
it could happen any day, you could go into labor,
especially with the fourth child. So she's just days away
from welcoming her fore child into the world. And despite
the challenges of being heavily pregnant, Emma was determined to
keep moving, to keep living. She had three other children
at home who depended on her, and by all accounts,
(06:47):
she's fiercely devoted to them. That morning, Emma left her
home on what seemed like an ordinary errand maybe she
kissed her kids goodbye or promise she'd be back soon,
and her destination a house near twenty fifth Avenue in
Connecticut Street. It was her boyfriend's residence, the father of
her unborn child, but this visit would be far from ordinary.
(07:10):
Emma arrived at the house in the late afternoon. Witnesses
in the area recalled seeing her enter the property, but
no one saw her leave inside. What was discussed or
what happened remains a mystery, but we do know this.
Emma never returned home, and by evening her phone had
(07:31):
gone silent. Calls from her family went unanswered, and texts
were not returned. At first, no one panicked. Maybe Emma
was just busy, maybe her phone had died. But as
hours turned into the night, the concern began to grow.
Emma wasn't the kind of person to simply disappear, especially
not with three children waiting for her and a fourth
(07:51):
on the way, which could come at any moment. When
Emma didn't come home that night, her family knew something
was wrong. They started calling around, reaching out to anyone
who might have seen or heard from her. Her boyfriend,
the last known person to see her, told them he
didn't know where she'd gone. His response only deepened their fears,
(08:12):
and the next morning, Emma's mother contacted the police to
report her missing. But here's where things take a frustrating turn.
As is often the case with missing adults, the initial
response was slow. Authorities treated her case as if she
might have simply left on her own, a possibility, they said,
had to be considered. I mean, yes, that's true. You
(08:33):
have to consider all avenues here, but you also have
to consider maybe she didn't leave on her own. She
wouldn't just vanish without telling someone, especially not what she
was about to give birth. Still, the first critical hours
passed with little action. By the time the investigation officially began,
(08:53):
it was already too late to retrace her steps in
real time. The house that Emma visited was searched, but
no evidence was found that pointed to what had happened
to her. Her phone was eventually located, but its context
provided few answers, no calls, no messages, no cryptic clues.
It was as if the story of her day ended
(09:14):
the moment she walked through that door. What we do
know comes from witness accounts and the timeline built by investigators.
Emma's last confirmed sighting was at the house on twenty
fifth Avenue in Connecticut Street. A neighbor recalled seeing her arrive,
describing her as calm and composed. There were no visible
signs of distress, and no argument overheard, no struggle seen,
(09:37):
and then Emma was gone. Here's the question that haunts us,
and one I think which may haunt you too. How
does a pregnant woman nine months long simply vanish. Emma's
family firmly believes that someone at the house or someone
connected to her boyfriend might have answers, but as of now,
(10:00):
no one has come forward. Her boyfriend, the father of
her unborn child, was questioned by police. He was taken
into custody on an unrelated warrant shortly after Emma's disappearance. However,
he hasn't been charged in connection with her case. This
is where the story becomes even more unsettling. Stay with me, guys.
(10:20):
The lack of evidence, the absence of witnesses, the eerie
silence around her disappearance. It's almost it almost feels deliberate,
as if someone went to great lengths to ensure there
would be no trail to follow at all. And when
someone disappears, investigators look for evidence, obviously, clues that can
paint a picture of what happened. A footprint in the dirt,
(10:41):
maybe a thread caught on a fence, or a trail
left behind in digital breadcrumbs. But in Emma Bomb's case,
the evidence or lack of it, is one of the
most chilling aspects of her story. So let's start with
what investigators knew from the very beginning Emma was last
seen on October ten, twenty twenty, at that house at
(11:02):
twenty fifth Avenue in Connecticut Street and Gary, Indiana. Witnesses
saw her arrive, they didn't see her leave. The house
itself was searched thoroughly. Police came through every room, every corner,
looking for any sign of a struggle or a clue
that might point to Emma's whereabouts, But the results were inconclusive.
There were no signs of force entry, no blood, no
(11:25):
clear evidence that a crime had taken place inside or
a struggle outside the house. Investigators expanded their search to
the surrounding area. They secured nearby streets, alleyways, and abandoned properties,
looking for anything, maybe a discarded piece of clothing, personal belongings,
tire tracks, anything that might provide a lead. But once again,
(11:46):
the search came up empty. And I do have a question,
did they use search dogs? And if they didn't, why not?
In today's world, one of the first places investigators looked
for clues, obviously is technology, phone, social media, surveillance cameras.
These are the tools that often help piece together the
puzzle of a missing person's movements, especially today, you guys,
(12:09):
your phone tracks everything. When you logged onto a browser,
when you logged off, how often you stayed on that
browser when you clicked out. You leave a digital footprint
everywhere you go on your phone and on your computer.
Even if you think you've covered your traces, everything is
back to being traceable unless you don't make any calls,
(12:30):
unless you don't search for anything. Her call logs and
text messages from the day of her disappearance showed nothing unusual.
There were no frantic calls, no cryptic messages, no evidence
of a fight or a plan to leave, which can
rule out that she left on her own accord. And
then I'd want to know that she take any money
(12:51):
out of her bank account. Was there any bank activity
after that? It does appear that investigators did examine her
location history. Now they did. I'd tracked the GPS data
to see where she had been earlier that day, but
even this turned out to be a dead end because
her phone had last pinked at her boyfriend's house, and
after that nothing The phone went silent, either powered off
(13:14):
or disabled. Suspicious much This silence was troubling for two reasons. First,
Emma was known to be in constant contact with her family,
you know, especially her mother and her three children. For
her phone to suttling go dark was deeply out of character,
and second, it suggested intent. Someone, whether Emma or someone else,
(13:36):
made sure that that phone was no longer traceable. Then
there's a matter of surveillance. In a densely populated area
like Gary, Indiana, there are cameras everywhere, at gas stations,
convenience stores, traffic lights, and even private residences. Police reviewed
hours of footage from the area surrounding the house, hoping
(13:56):
to catch a glimpse of Emma or anything suspicious, and
the results frustratingly minimal. One camera showed her arriving at
the property, She stepped out of her car, walked toward
the house, and disappeared inside, but none of the footage
showed her leaving. Did she walk out through a back
(14:17):
door which she had taken away in a vehicle parked
out of sight of the cameras. These are questions which
remain unanswered to us without access to the ongoing investigation files.
Emma's car was parked nearby and it was still untouched,
and it wasn't until weeks later that search teams expanded
their efforts to abandon properties in the area, but every
(14:39):
search ended the same way, with more questions than answers.
Others believed the lack of evidence point to something even
more unsettling, that Emma may have never left that house alive.
Let's think about that, guys, last place where she was
seeing her boyfriend's house, the father of her baby, she
was seen entering, she was never seen exiting. Her car
(15:00):
is still there. How does a woman nine months pregnant
just disappear into thin air she's about to give birth.
This is absolutely wild. I cannot wrap my mind around
the fact that anybody would believe that she just left
on her own accord, without anything to take care of herself.
(15:20):
Let's talk about foul play. The first and perhaps most
obvious theory is that Emma was the victim of foul play. Obviously,
last seen at her boyfriend's house, he was the last
one to see her alive, allegedly. Now, police did question
him shortly after her disappearance, and while he was taken
into custody again on an unrelated warrant, he has never
(15:41):
been charged in connection with her case. What did Emma
and her boyfriend discuss that day. Why did she go
over there? Did they have an argument? Could something have
happened inside the house that led to her disappearance. The
lack of physical evidence in the house is troubling, but recall,
if Emma did not make it out of that house alive,
(16:02):
whomever did something to Emma to end her life in
that house had twenty four hours to take care of business.
What I want to know is did the cameras catch
other vehicles entering and exiting that residence as well? I
have a lot of questions, and I wish I could
just get a hold of these files. At last, I
am not allowed, probably for good reason. Here's another possibility
(16:26):
I want to consider. If Emma did leave the house alive,
where did she go and who might have been waiting
for her? Okay, I have to be really honest. I
absolutely do not believe that Emma left this house alive,
Given that she is nine months pregnant, that the last
(16:48):
person to see her allegedly was an intimate partner, we
know statistically that doesn't look good. The fact that she
left her three children has not gotten in touch with
the family since her disappearance and then giving birth. Have
we checked the hospitals. Have we checked the morgues? What
(17:10):
is going on here? I just when I talk about
the theory that she left this house alive, it feels
uncomfortable because I don't believe it. So I'm just gonna
be very honest with you. However, it could be possible
that she left that house alive and then she's not alive. Now.
Best case scenario, she left that house alive and her
(17:31):
baby is alive now and they're somewhere safe and we
just have to find them. So we will keep sharing
their story. But again, there's no signs of struggle. But
to that, I say, cople because you have twenty four
hours to clean up anything in this house. I have
a lot of questions about this case, and it's makes
(17:51):
me really frustrated. So if you're really frustrated too, come
join me on the frustrated train. Jou jow. Okay, this
theory that that the family doesn't want to accept, and
I don't blame them. Come on, she left voluntarily, Okay,
at first it seems implausible devote a mother with three children,
she had a fourth on the way. She adored her kids.
(18:13):
She was deeply involved in their lives, would she have
walked away from them? Well, we have to leave everything
out there and not get pigeonholed, because if we're trying
to find somebody, we do have to leave every possibility open.
I know this, but I'm not the investigator. I'm a
(18:35):
podcaster and I've got some biased opinions right now. But
could Emma maybe have felt overwhelmed or even trapped? Did
she see leaving as her only way out? Maybe? If
this theory holds any weight, it raises another crucial question.
Where would Emma have gone. A person can only disappear
voluntarily for so long. At some point they need resources.
(18:57):
She needs money, shelter, she needs her car, transportation, and
in Emma's case, she was nine months pregnant. She would
have needed medical care. But here's where that theory falls apart.
No hospital in the region reported treating Emma Bomb for childbirth,
No financial transactions have been linked to her name since
her disappearance, and perhaps most importantly, her family insists that
(19:20):
she wouldn't have just left. And you know what, I
believe them. They describe her as loving, devoted, and grounded,
and for them, the idea that Emma would abandon her
children is unthinkable. So we have this other theory, human trafficking.
It's this darker, more sinister, and disturbing possibility. However, it
(19:41):
is a possibility. In today's dark world, human trafficking is
so prominent in the United States. Was Emma Bomb a
victim of human trafficking? Such a grim reality? In cases
like Emma's, you know, they do raise alarm bells. This
could explain why she was taken. If she was taken
(20:02):
alive and there's no trace of her, there's absolutely no
blood at the scene that they could find traces of.
I do have questions about how thoroughly that was looked at. However,
could she have been targeted by someone who saw her
as an easy victim. There are aspects of Emma's case
that fit this theory. So the suddenness of her disappearance,
(20:24):
the lack of evidence, and the airy silence surrounding what
happened all suggests that level of planning, which aligns with
trafficking operations. Now, if this theory is true, it's possible
that Emma was taken far from Gary, Indiana, perhaps even
across state lines, maybe even out of this country, and
this would explain why local searches have yielded no results.
(20:48):
But trafficking doesn't happen in a vacuum. It requires a
network of people, and someone somewhere might know something. The
challenge is getting those people to come forward. Now, I
have questions that I would love to know and dig deeper,
and I apologize I don't have these answers for you today,
but I want to know her boyfriend's criminal history. Do
we have domestic violence charges, gun charges, drug charges? Obviously
(21:13):
he was taken in on a warrant of a non
related case. Was what was that warrant for? Does he
have a history of violence? Was he into gambling? Did
they get into a lot of domestics where police ever called?
Why were they not living together? And if Emma had
(21:34):
three other children with a different father, for those children
or fathers, who were they? And I would like to
dig into everybody all the same. We start at the
first layer and then you peel outward. We have to
start from the closest orbit to her. Emma wasn't just
a name and a police report or a face on
(21:54):
a flyer. She was a mother, a daughter, or friend.
Her absence has left an unfillable void in the lives
of those who knew her best. So what happens when
somebody love vanishes? Emma was kind, She would drop everything
to help someone in need, and now it's her family
who finds themselves desperately trying to help her. Please help her.
(22:16):
We're going to circulate her photo on our social media
at Firerized Media, LLC. Please make sure you see it
and try to share it for us, but most importantly
for Emma. We cover a lot of missing person cases,
and I work really closely with a high profile case
here in our town, missing person Jennifer and Adrina Wicks,
and I see firsthand through their eyes what it's like
(22:40):
to have somebody missing. The unknowns, the anxiety, the trauma,
the emotions behind the unknown. Are they alive? Are they dead?
Were they alive for a while? Have they since died?
Have they since been killed? Were they killed in the Bigina?
(23:01):
Not knowing the answers to these questions means you wake
up every day not knowing how the day will go.
Maybe today, maybe today's day, we get an answer. Maybe
it's not. I know some families wait thirty forty years
for answers. I hope that is not the case here Emma.
If your family's listening, I just want to say we're
thinking of you. Please reach out to us. If we
(23:22):
can do anything else, please, we really, really really want
to circulate Emma's photo because if any of these theories
are true and she's out there, you guys, we got
to be looking for Emma. We got to be part
of Emma's army in search for Emma and for her baby.
Emma's mother said, We're always going to look for her.
(23:43):
I'm never going to stop looking for her. And we know,
as mother's that's a determination only a mother can fully understand,
or a woman with a mother's heart can fully understand.
And Emma's children too have felt the weight of her absence.
Obviously they're too young to grasp fully what has happened,
but they know their mom is gone. And as days
(24:04):
turned into weeks, how do you explain something like this
to a child. And the heartbreaking reality is that every
milestone in Emma's children's lives from now on, you know,
the birthdays and holidays, it will be marked by Emma's absence.
And yet her family holds on to hope. They refuse
to let her story fade. You know, the community came
(24:25):
together the community of Gary, Indiana. So when Emma went missing,
neighbors rallied to support her family. Volunteers joined search parties,
scouring abandoned houses and overgrown lots, and they were hoping
to find any sign of her. Local businesses even printed
flyers and shared her story on social media. There were
candlelight vigils which were held in her honor, with hundreds
(24:47):
of people gathering to pray for her safe return. The
community showed up for Emma and her family, but they
weren't just about finding Emma. They were about sending a
message that Emma's life mattered and no in their town
could be forgotten. And still, as time goes on, maintaining
that level of awareness obviously becomes harder. People's lives move on.
(25:10):
That's just the truth and the matter of it. Everyone's
lives have to move forward. But for the victims, the families,
they are stuck in perpetual purgatory of grief and what ifs.
Other stories come on take the spotlights, but Emma's family
will refuse to let her story fade. Emma's family has
(25:31):
publicly expressed their disappointment with the pace of the investigation.
They felt at times that more could be done, that
more should be done, and they're not alone. Many families
a missing person share this sentiment. They feel like they're
the ones leading the search while authorities lag behind. But
for Emma's family, giving up is not an option. Hope
(25:52):
is a powerful thing, you, guys. It's what keeps Emma's
family going, even in the face of overwhelming odds. It's
what drives them to continue searching, to continue speaking out,
to continue believing that one day Emma will come home.
And while hope can be painful, you listening might know
this all too well. It's necessary. It's what gives meaning
(26:15):
to the fight for answers. We don't just tell these
horrible stories without any hope. Of course, we have hope.
Of course we want to learn from it and advocate
and share, and one day we hope that our efforts
can help prevent at least one person being harmed. So
(26:36):
are call to action today, guys. Keep her storylive. Please
share her name, share our slides, share her photo, and
let's not stop searching for Emma. If you're listening to
this and you know anything about what happened to Emma Baum,
no matter how small or insignificant. It might seem please
come forward. It could be a detail you've overlooked, something
you heard in passing, or something you've been afraid to share.
(26:58):
That one piece of information could be the breakthrough her
family so desperately seeks and before we head out, Emma
bomb story is not an isolated one. Most of you
listening obviously know that you would likely listen to a
lot of true crime podcasts. Every year, thousands of people
go missing in the United States. Some cases are resolved quickly,
(27:19):
others like Emma's, remain unsolved, lingering like open wounds and
the lives of those left behind. But cases of Emma's
remind us the importance of community, and y'all here in
the true crime community. I want to encourage you to
step up and do something. We can't just consume true crime.
We have to know that there's a call to action,
(27:40):
something as simple as sharing an image on social media.
We're in such a social media digital agent. It could
be such a tool and an asset for missing persons families,
but we have to get the picture out there first.
We can't tell everybody about Emma without your help. We
have a response ability. I do believe to ensure that
(28:01):
cases like hers are not ignored. Okay, so here's what
you can do. Follow Emma's story online and we'll link
her story online and support effort to keep her name
in the public eye. If you have any information, please
come forward. You can even come forward anonymously to Emma's family. Hi,
it's Jules and Jen and I want to tell you
we hear you, we see you, and we stand with you.
(28:23):
And we have a nonprofit called Shores of Strength and
we will reach out to you. If there's anything we
can do as far as digital resources, missing persons, flyers,
any resources that you need for social media to get loud,
let us know because we would love to offer you
our services from the nonprofit. From us to you, because
we believe that your fight is also our fight. You know.
(28:46):
Until next time, take care of yourselves. You guys, love
each other, and remember Emma Bomb is not just a
name or face. She's someone who mattered, who still matters.
Let's make sure her story isn't forgotten. If you have
any information regarding Emma Ball's disappearance, please contact the Gary
Police Department at two P one nine eight eight one
one two zero nine. Alternatively, you can reach out to
(29:08):
the crime Tip hotline at eight sixty six crime GP.
Your assistance could be crucial in bringing Emma home and
providing answers to her family. All right, guys, that's it
for today. Jen will be here Friday with weekly dispatch,
and then we continue on next week with all new cases.
Remember you're wanted, you're loved, and you deserve to be found.
(29:32):
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Speaker 2 (01:08):
Hey guys, it's Jewels from True Crime and Headlines with
Jewels and jen Hey, Hi, glad you're here. Guess what
We're excited to finally share with you that we're going
to Crime con Denver, but this year we're going as creators.
So we're going to have a booth for Fireeyzed Media,
which is our new podcast network, women owned and operated,
which we're so proud of, and we will also be showcasing.
(01:29):
All of our podcasts are mostly focusing on missing and
hushtam and true crime and headlines. So if you're going
to crime con let us know and make sure you
come see us so we can give you a button,
a sticker wristban a hug and make it awkward. Okay,
let's out for the ADU. Shall we get to our
episode today. Let's go the Vanishing of Emma Baum, A
(01:59):
search for an imagine this. It's a quiet evening, the
sun has dipped below the horizon and the world is
settling into its usual rhythms. Somewhere, a young woman is
walking alone, her thoughts likely on the mundane details of
her day. Maybe she's on her way home, maybe she's
off to meet a friend. And then she vanishes. She
(02:22):
just vanishes. No witnesses, no struggle, no trace, just gone.
This is the story of Emma Bomb, A story of
a young woman with her whole life ahead of her,
who one day disappeared without a trace. A story that
has left her family shattered, her community shaken, and investigators baffled.
What happened to Emma bamb Was she taken, did she
(02:45):
leave on her own? Or is there something even darker
at play? In today's episode, you guys were going to
dig in deep together into this haunting case. Will uncover
the facts, explore some theories, and examine the heartbreaking ripple
effects of her disappearance. Stay with me, because the story
you're about to hear might just hold the answer someone
(03:06):
has been searching for. To understand the significance of Emma
Baum's disappearance, we first need to know who Emma was,
not just the circumstances of her vanishing, but the person
behind the name. Emma Baumb was a twenty five year
old mother living in Gary, Indiana. She wasn't just someone
who disappeared. She was a mother of three young children,
(03:29):
children who are now left wondering where their mommy has gone.
And at the time of her disappearance, Emma was nine
months pregnant with her fourth child. That's right, she was
on the verge of welcoming a new life into the world,
you guys, as a moment that should have been filled
with hope and joy. Instead, it's now marked by questions
(03:49):
and fear. Emma was described physically as a petite woman,
standing just five foot three inches tall and weighing around
one hundred thirty six pounds. She had brown hair and
brown eyes, though she was known to wear wigs in
different styles and colors, often experimenting with her look. She
had several scars on her arms and a number of tattoos,
marks that made her stand out and told her story
(04:12):
in ways which words couldn't. Emma was last seen near
twenty fifth Avenue in Connecticut Street in Gary. She had
reportedly been visiting her boyfriend at the time, and this
wasn't just an ordinary visit, you guys. It was one
of her last known movements before she vanished. Her family
describes her as a devoted mother who always tried to
(04:34):
do her best for her kids. They've been relentless in
their search for her, distributing flyers, organizing search efforts, and
scouring abandoned houses for any sign of her. Her disappearance
has left an enormous void, not only in her children's lives,
but in the lives of everyone who knew and loved her.
Emma's story is one of heartbreak, but it's also one
(04:57):
of love, a love so fears that her family refuses
to give up. Her mother said, quote, We're always going
to look for her. I'm never going to stop looking
for her end quote. And that determination, folks, is what
keeps this case alive. I don't know if you're aware
of how often podcasts listen to each other. We love
(05:19):
this community. We support each other. We listen to each
other's cases all the time, and then we tell each other,
please cover this case. This family needs your help. This
true crime community, we have this network of advocates, and
we really want to share these stories. So when one
podcast does an ethical story on a case and talks
about a victim and their family, oftentimes more podcasts pick
(05:42):
up that case as well. So I want to encourage
other podcasters who may be listening to please pick up
this case as well and reach out to us, and
we'll be more than happy to share our notes with you.
So she wasn't just a missing person. She was a person, period,
someone with hopes, dreams in a future that she never
got to see. On October tenth, twenty twenty four, that's right,
(06:05):
just a few months ago, you guys. October tenth, twenty
twenty four. It started like any other day for Emma Baum.
It was a Thursday, a day with routine plans and
the quiet rhythms of life in Gary, Indiana. But it's
also the last day anyone saw her. Emma was nine
(06:25):
months pregnant, just weeks, you know, maybe days. You know,
it could happen any day, you could go into labor,
especially with the fourth child. So she's just days away
from welcoming her fore child into the world. And despite
the challenges of being heavily pregnant, Emma was determined to
keep moving, to keep living. She had three other children
at home who depended on her, and by all accounts,
(06:47):
she's fiercely devoted to them. That morning, Emma left her
home on what seemed like an ordinary errand maybe she
kissed her kids goodbye or promise she'd be back soon,
and her destination a house near twenty fifth Avenue in
Connecticut Street. It was her boyfriend's residence, the father of
her unborn child, but this visit would be far from ordinary.
(07:10):
Emma arrived at the house in the late afternoon. Witnesses
in the area recalled seeing her enter the property, but
no one saw her leave inside. What was discussed or
what happened remains a mystery, but we do know this.
Emma never returned home, and by evening her phone had
(07:31):
gone silent. Calls from her family went unanswered, and texts
were not returned. At first, no one panicked. Maybe Emma
was just busy, maybe her phone had died. But as
hours turned into the night, the concern began to grow.
Emma wasn't the kind of person to simply disappear, especially
not with three children waiting for her and a fourth
(07:51):
on the way, which could come at any moment. When
Emma didn't come home that night, her family knew something
was wrong. They started calling around, reaching out to anyone
who might have seen or heard from her. Her boyfriend,
the last known person to see her, told them he
didn't know where she'd gone. His response only deepened their fears,
(08:12):
and the next morning, Emma's mother contacted the police to
report her missing. But here's where things take a frustrating turn.
As is often the case with missing adults, the initial
response was slow. Authorities treated her case as if she
might have simply left on her own, a possibility, they said,
had to be considered. I mean, yes, that's true. You
(08:33):
have to consider all avenues here, but you also have
to consider maybe she didn't leave on her own. She
wouldn't just vanish without telling someone, especially not what she
was about to give birth. Still, the first critical hours
passed with little action. By the time the investigation officially began,
(08:53):
it was already too late to retrace her steps in
real time. The house that Emma visited was searched, but
no evidence was found that pointed to what had happened
to her. Her phone was eventually located, but its context
provided few answers, no calls, no messages, no cryptic clues.
It was as if the story of her day ended
(09:14):
the moment she walked through that door. What we do
know comes from witness accounts and the timeline built by investigators.
Emma's last confirmed sighting was at the house on twenty
fifth Avenue in Connecticut Street. A neighbor recalled seeing her arrive,
describing her as calm and composed. There were no visible
signs of distress, and no argument overheard, no struggle seen,
(09:37):
and then Emma was gone. Here's the question that haunts us,
and one I think which may haunt you too. How
does a pregnant woman nine months long simply vanish. Emma's
family firmly believes that someone at the house or someone
connected to her boyfriend might have answers, but as of now,
(10:00):
no one has come forward. Her boyfriend, the father of
her unborn child, was questioned by police. He was taken
into custody on an unrelated warrant shortly after Emma's disappearance. However,
he hasn't been charged in connection with her case. This
is where the story becomes even more unsettling. Stay with me, guys.
(10:20):
The lack of evidence, the absence of witnesses, the eerie
silence around her disappearance. It's almost it almost feels deliberate,
as if someone went to great lengths to ensure there
would be no trail to follow at all. And when
someone disappears, investigators look for evidence, obviously, clues that can
paint a picture of what happened. A footprint in the dirt,
(10:41):
maybe a thread caught on a fence, or a trail
left behind in digital breadcrumbs. But in Emma Bomb's case,
the evidence or lack of it, is one of the
most chilling aspects of her story. So let's start with
what investigators knew from the very beginning Emma was last
seen on October ten, twenty twenty, at that house at
(11:02):
twenty fifth Avenue in Connecticut Street and Gary, Indiana. Witnesses
saw her arrive, they didn't see her leave. The house
itself was searched thoroughly. Police came through every room, every corner,
looking for any sign of a struggle or a clue
that might point to Emma's whereabouts, But the results were inconclusive.
There were no signs of force entry, no blood, no
(11:25):
clear evidence that a crime had taken place inside or
a struggle outside the house. Investigators expanded their search to
the surrounding area. They secured nearby streets, alleyways, and abandoned properties,
looking for anything, maybe a discarded piece of clothing, personal belongings,
tire tracks, anything that might provide a lead. But once again,
(11:46):
the search came up empty. And I do have a question,
did they use search dogs? And if they didn't, why not?
In today's world, one of the first places investigators looked
for clues, obviously is technology, phone, social media, surveillance cameras.
These are the tools that often help piece together the
puzzle of a missing person's movements, especially today, you guys,
(12:09):
your phone tracks everything. When you logged onto a browser,
when you logged off, how often you stayed on that
browser when you clicked out. You leave a digital footprint
everywhere you go on your phone and on your computer.
Even if you think you've covered your traces, everything is
back to being traceable unless you don't make any calls,
(12:30):
unless you don't search for anything. Her call logs and
text messages from the day of her disappearance showed nothing unusual.
There were no frantic calls, no cryptic messages, no evidence
of a fight or a plan to leave, which can
rule out that she left on her own accord. And
then I'd want to know that she take any money
(12:51):
out of her bank account. Was there any bank activity
after that? It does appear that investigators did examine her
location history. Now they did. I'd tracked the GPS data
to see where she had been earlier that day, but
even this turned out to be a dead end because
her phone had last pinked at her boyfriend's house, and
after that nothing The phone went silent, either powered off
(13:14):
or disabled. Suspicious much This silence was troubling for two reasons. First,
Emma was known to be in constant contact with her family,
you know, especially her mother and her three children. For
her phone to suttling go dark was deeply out of character,
and second, it suggested intent. Someone, whether Emma or someone else,
(13:36):
made sure that that phone was no longer traceable. Then
there's a matter of surveillance. In a densely populated area
like Gary, Indiana, there are cameras everywhere, at gas stations,
convenience stores, traffic lights, and even private residences. Police reviewed
hours of footage from the area surrounding the house, hoping
(13:56):
to catch a glimpse of Emma or anything suspicious, and
the results frustratingly minimal. One camera showed her arriving at
the property, She stepped out of her car, walked toward
the house, and disappeared inside, but none of the footage
showed her leaving. Did she walk out through a back
(14:17):
door which she had taken away in a vehicle parked
out of sight of the cameras. These are questions which
remain unanswered to us without access to the ongoing investigation files.
Emma's car was parked nearby and it was still untouched,
and it wasn't until weeks later that search teams expanded
their efforts to abandon properties in the area, but every
(14:39):
search ended the same way, with more questions than answers.
Others believed the lack of evidence point to something even
more unsettling, that Emma may have never left that house alive.
Let's think about that, guys, last place where she was
seeing her boyfriend's house, the father of her baby, she
was seen entering, she was never seen exiting. Her car
(15:00):
is still there. How does a woman nine months pregnant
just disappear into thin air she's about to give birth.
This is absolutely wild. I cannot wrap my mind around
the fact that anybody would believe that she just left
on her own accord, without anything to take care of herself.
(15:20):
Let's talk about foul play. The first and perhaps most
obvious theory is that Emma was the victim of foul play. Obviously,
last seen at her boyfriend's house, he was the last
one to see her alive, allegedly. Now, police did question
him shortly after her disappearance, and while he was taken
into custody again on an unrelated warrant, he has never
(15:41):
been charged in connection with her case. What did Emma
and her boyfriend discuss that day. Why did she go
over there? Did they have an argument? Could something have
happened inside the house that led to her disappearance. The
lack of physical evidence in the house is troubling, but recall,
if Emma did not make it out of that house alive,
(16:02):
whomever did something to Emma to end her life in
that house had twenty four hours to take care of business.
What I want to know is did the cameras catch
other vehicles entering and exiting that residence as well? I
have a lot of questions, and I wish I could
just get a hold of these files. At last, I
am not allowed, probably for good reason. Here's another possibility
(16:26):
I want to consider. If Emma did leave the house alive,
where did she go and who might have been waiting
for her? Okay, I have to be really honest. I
absolutely do not believe that Emma left this house alive,
Given that she is nine months pregnant, that the last
(16:48):
person to see her allegedly was an intimate partner, we
know statistically that doesn't look good. The fact that she
left her three children has not gotten in touch with
the family since her disappearance and then giving birth. Have
we checked the hospitals. Have we checked the morgues? What
(17:10):
is going on here? I just when I talk about
the theory that she left this house alive, it feels
uncomfortable because I don't believe it. So I'm just gonna
be very honest with you. However, it could be possible
that she left that house alive and then she's not alive. Now.
Best case scenario, she left that house alive and her
(17:31):
baby is alive now and they're somewhere safe and we
just have to find them. So we will keep sharing
their story. But again, there's no signs of struggle. But
to that, I say, cople because you have twenty four
hours to clean up anything in this house. I have
a lot of questions about this case, and it's makes
(17:51):
me really frustrated. So if you're really frustrated too, come
join me on the frustrated train. Jou jow. Okay, this
theory that that the family doesn't want to accept, and
I don't blame them. Come on, she left voluntarily, Okay,
at first it seems implausible devote a mother with three children,
she had a fourth on the way. She adored her kids.
(18:13):
She was deeply involved in their lives, would she have
walked away from them? Well, we have to leave everything
out there and not get pigeonholed, because if we're trying
to find somebody, we do have to leave every possibility open.
I know this, but I'm not the investigator. I'm a
(18:35):
podcaster and I've got some biased opinions right now. But
could Emma maybe have felt overwhelmed or even trapped? Did
she see leaving as her only way out? Maybe? If
this theory holds any weight, it raises another crucial question.
Where would Emma have gone. A person can only disappear
voluntarily for so long. At some point they need resources.
(18:57):
She needs money, shelter, she needs her car, transportation, and
in Emma's case, she was nine months pregnant. She would
have needed medical care. But here's where that theory falls apart.
No hospital in the region reported treating Emma Bomb for childbirth,
No financial transactions have been linked to her name since
her disappearance, and perhaps most importantly, her family insists that
(19:20):
she wouldn't have just left. And you know what, I
believe them. They describe her as loving, devoted, and grounded,
and for them, the idea that Emma would abandon her
children is unthinkable. So we have this other theory, human trafficking.
It's this darker, more sinister, and disturbing possibility. However, it
(19:41):
is a possibility. In today's dark world, human trafficking is
so prominent in the United States. Was Emma Bomb a
victim of human trafficking? Such a grim reality? In cases
like Emma's, you know, they do raise alarm bells. This
could explain why she was taken. If she was taken
(20:02):
alive and there's no trace of her, there's absolutely no
blood at the scene that they could find traces of.
I do have questions about how thoroughly that was looked at. However,
could she have been targeted by someone who saw her
as an easy victim. There are aspects of Emma's case
that fit this theory. So the suddenness of her disappearance,
(20:24):
the lack of evidence, and the airy silence surrounding what
happened all suggests that level of planning, which aligns with
trafficking operations. Now, if this theory is true, it's possible
that Emma was taken far from Gary, Indiana, perhaps even
across state lines, maybe even out of this country, and
this would explain why local searches have yielded no results.
(20:48):
But trafficking doesn't happen in a vacuum. It requires a
network of people, and someone somewhere might know something. The
challenge is getting those people to come forward. Now, I
have questions that I would love to know and dig deeper,
and I apologize I don't have these answers for you today,
but I want to know her boyfriend's criminal history. Do
we have domestic violence charges, gun charges, drug charges? Obviously
(21:13):
he was taken in on a warrant of a non
related case. Was what was that warrant for? Does he
have a history of violence? Was he into gambling? Did
they get into a lot of domestics where police ever called?
Why were they not living together? And if Emma had
(21:34):
three other children with a different father, for those children
or fathers, who were they? And I would like to
dig into everybody all the same. We start at the
first layer and then you peel outward. We have to
start from the closest orbit to her. Emma wasn't just
a name and a police report or a face on
(21:54):
a flyer. She was a mother, a daughter, or friend.
Her absence has left an unfillable void in the lives
of those who knew her best. So what happens when
somebody love vanishes? Emma was kind, She would drop everything
to help someone in need, and now it's her family
who finds themselves desperately trying to help her. Please help her.
(22:16):
We're going to circulate her photo on our social media
at Firerized Media, LLC. Please make sure you see it
and try to share it for us, but most importantly
for Emma. We cover a lot of missing person cases,
and I work really closely with a high profile case
here in our town, missing person Jennifer and Adrina Wicks,
and I see firsthand through their eyes what it's like
(22:40):
to have somebody missing. The unknowns, the anxiety, the trauma,
the emotions behind the unknown. Are they alive? Are they dead?
Were they alive for a while? Have they since died?
Have they since been killed? Were they killed in the Bigina?
(23:01):
Not knowing the answers to these questions means you wake
up every day not knowing how the day will go.
Maybe today, maybe today's day, we get an answer. Maybe
it's not. I know some families wait thirty forty years
for answers. I hope that is not the case here Emma.
If your family's listening, I just want to say we're
thinking of you. Please reach out to us. If we
(23:22):
can do anything else, please, we really, really really want
to circulate Emma's photo because if any of these theories
are true and she's out there, you guys, we got
to be looking for Emma. We got to be part
of Emma's army in search for Emma and for her baby.
Emma's mother said, We're always going to look for her.
(23:43):
I'm never going to stop looking for her. And we know,
as mother's that's a determination only a mother can fully understand,
or a woman with a mother's heart can fully understand.
And Emma's children too have felt the weight of her absence.
Obviously they're too young to grasp fully what has happened,
but they know their mom is gone. And as days
(24:04):
turned into weeks, how do you explain something like this
to a child. And the heartbreaking reality is that every
milestone in Emma's children's lives from now on, you know,
the birthdays and holidays, it will be marked by Emma's absence.
And yet her family holds on to hope. They refuse
to let her story fade. You know, the community came
(24:25):
together the community of Gary, Indiana. So when Emma went missing,
neighbors rallied to support her family. Volunteers joined search parties,
scouring abandoned houses and overgrown lots, and they were hoping
to find any sign of her. Local businesses even printed
flyers and shared her story on social media. There were
candlelight vigils which were held in her honor, with hundreds
(24:47):
of people gathering to pray for her safe return. The
community showed up for Emma and her family, but they
weren't just about finding Emma. They were about sending a
message that Emma's life mattered and no in their town
could be forgotten. And still, as time goes on, maintaining
that level of awareness obviously becomes harder. People's lives move on.
(25:10):
That's just the truth and the matter of it. Everyone's
lives have to move forward. But for the victims, the families,
they are stuck in perpetual purgatory of grief and what ifs.
Other stories come on take the spotlights, but Emma's family
will refuse to let her story fade. Emma's family has
(25:31):
publicly expressed their disappointment with the pace of the investigation.
They felt at times that more could be done, that
more should be done, and they're not alone. Many families
a missing person share this sentiment. They feel like they're
the ones leading the search while authorities lag behind. But
for Emma's family, giving up is not an option. Hope
(25:52):
is a powerful thing, you, guys. It's what keeps Emma's
family going, even in the face of overwhelming odds. It's
what drives them to continue searching, to continue speaking out,
to continue believing that one day Emma will come home.
And while hope can be painful, you listening might know
this all too well. It's necessary. It's what gives meaning
(26:15):
to the fight for answers. We don't just tell these
horrible stories without any hope. Of course, we have hope.
Of course we want to learn from it and advocate
and share, and one day we hope that our efforts
can help prevent at least one person being harmed. So
(26:36):
are call to action today, guys. Keep her storylive. Please
share her name, share our slides, share her photo, and
let's not stop searching for Emma. If you're listening to
this and you know anything about what happened to Emma Baum,
no matter how small or insignificant. It might seem please
come forward. It could be a detail you've overlooked, something
you heard in passing, or something you've been afraid to share.
(26:58):
That one piece of information could be the breakthrough her
family so desperately seeks and before we head out, Emma
bomb story is not an isolated one. Most of you
listening obviously know that you would likely listen to a
lot of true crime podcasts. Every year, thousands of people
go missing in the United States. Some cases are resolved quickly,
(27:19):
others like Emma's, remain unsolved, lingering like open wounds and
the lives of those left behind. But cases of Emma's
remind us the importance of community, and y'all here in
the true crime community. I want to encourage you to
step up and do something. We can't just consume true crime.
We have to know that there's a call to action,
(27:40):
something as simple as sharing an image on social media.
We're in such a social media digital agent. It could
be such a tool and an asset for missing persons families,
but we have to get the picture out there first.
We can't tell everybody about Emma without your help. We
have a response ability. I do believe to ensure that
(28:01):
cases like hers are not ignored. Okay, so here's what
you can do. Follow Emma's story online and we'll link
her story online and support effort to keep her name
in the public eye. If you have any information, please
come forward. You can even come forward anonymously to Emma's family. Hi,
it's Jules and Jen and I want to tell you
we hear you, we see you, and we stand with you.
(28:23):
And we have a nonprofit called Shores of Strength and
we will reach out to you. If there's anything we
can do as far as digital resources, missing persons, flyers,
any resources that you need for social media to get loud,
let us know because we would love to offer you
our services from the nonprofit. From us to you, because
we believe that your fight is also our fight. You know.
(28:46):
Until next time, take care of yourselves. You guys, love
each other, and remember Emma Bomb is not just a
name or face. She's someone who mattered, who still matters.
Let's make sure her story isn't forgotten. If you have
any information regarding Emma Ball's disappearance, please contact the Gary
Police Department at two P one nine eight eight one
one two zero nine. Alternatively, you can reach out to
(29:08):
the crime Tip hotline at eight sixty six crime GP.
Your assistance could be crucial in bringing Emma home and
providing answers to her family. All right, guys, that's it
for today. Jen will be here Friday with weekly dispatch,
and then we continue on next week with all new cases.
Remember you're wanted, you're loved, and you deserve to be found.
(29:32):
Take care, Fireeyes Media
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