Emma Baum

Case Information:

Emma Baum was 25 years old when she disappeared from Gary, Indiana, on October 10, 2024, while in the final stages of pregnancy.

A devoted mother of three, Emma was eagerly anticipating the arrival of her fourth child. Medical records from her October 4, 2024 appointment confirmed she was one centimeter dilated and approaching her due date.

On the day she vanished, Emma traveled from her home in Portage, Indiana, to visit the father of her unborn child in Gary.

Case Details:

On October 10, 2024, Emma arrived at her boyfriend’s residence in the 2500 block of Connecticut Street near 25th Avenue in Gary. She did not have a functioning cell phone with her at the time.

After entering the home, Emma was never seen or heard from again. Her disappearance was immediate and unexplained, leaving behind her three children and the unborn baby she was due to deliver within days.

Timeline of Events:

• October 4, 2024: Emma visited her doctor and was found to be one centimeter dilated, extremely close to her due date.
• October 10, 2024: Emma left her home in Portage and was dropped off near her boyfriend’s house in Gary. This was the last time anyone confirmed seeing her alive.
• October 10-28, 2024: Emma’s family attempts to contact her without success. Family members begin messaging each other asking if anyone has heard from her.
• October 28, 2024: When Emma’s disappearance becomes completely out of character, her mother files an official missing person report with the Gary Police Department—eighteen days after Emma vanished.
• Late October-November 2024: Gary Police conduct investigations, including K9 searches at three separate locations and interviews with multiple people.
• October 2025: On the one-year anniversary, Emma’s family gathers at Gateway Park to remember her. They release balloons and distribute flyers to keep her case visible.

Investigation:

The Gary Police Department launched a formal investigation after Emma’s mother filed the missing person report on October 28, 2024.

Police Commander Jack Hamady confirmed that investigators searched three separate locations and examined video footage from areas near where Emma was last seen. K9 units were deployed to assist in search efforts.

Community Response:

Emma’s disappearance has mobilized her community across Gary and surrounding areas.

Her family and volunteers have conducted tireless searches, walking through abandoned houses, knocking on doors, and distributing flyers to anyone who might have information.

Family Statements:

Emma’s sister, Hailey Baum-Waddell, told Fox News: “Looking for Emma has been a very struggling thing for everybody, mentally and physically and emotionally. But we’re not going to stop looking for her.”

Her mother, Jamie Baum, expressed her anguish: “I would like my daughter home. We miss her. Her babies need her.” Sister Abigale Smith added: “We have stopped people in their cars. We have talked to anybody we could. We’re looking in abandoned houses.”

Physical Appearance:

Emma stands 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs approximately 135 to 136 pounds.

She has brown hair and brown eyes but is known to frequently wear different colored wigs and hairpieces. Emma has multiple tattoos and several distinctive scars on her arms.

Current Status:

Emma Baum remains missing. It has been well over a year since she vanished on October 10, 2024.

Given that she was nine months pregnant when she disappeared, she would have likely given birth shortly after—meaning both Emma and her newborn child may be missing. Her three living children continue to grow up without their mother, and her family refuses to give up hope of finding answers.

Contact Information:

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Emma Baum, please contact the Gary Police Department Detective Salazar at (219) 881-1209 or call 911.

Emma’s three children deserve to know what happened to their mother. Any information, no matter how small, could bring Emma home and provide her family with closure.

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