HICKORY, N.C. — Investigators on Thursday said they may have found a significant piece of evidence in the disappearance of 10-year-old Zahra Baker.
"Search teams in Caldwell County yesterday located evidence that could provide valuable information in the Zahra Baker case," Hickory police said in a statement. "The evidence will be analyzed at the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation's lab."
Police refused to say more about the potential evidence, saying, "...We must be cautious in prematurely releasing information so it will not jeopardize any future criminal proceedings."
A source close to the investigation told the Charlotte Observer's news partner, WCNC, that crews found human remains while searching in Caldwell County Wednesday. Hickory police would not confirm that human remains were found.
Thursday's disclosure comes amid reports on CNN that police have identified a "person of interest" in the case, which has attracted attention around the world.
Also, Australian media reported that Zahra Baker's biological mother is on her way from Australia to North Carolina.
WCNC-TV, the Observer's news partner, reported that Emily Dietrich, Zahra's biological mother, will come to Hickory. Dietrich has not had contact with Zahra since she was a baby. She told Australia's Channel 7 News that she was trying to find Zahra when she learned she had disappeared.
"I felt robbed before she was taken. Now I just feel broken," Dietrich told the Australian television station.
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