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Mother of Lindsey Baum says her efforts are now dedicated to finding killer

McCLEARY, Wash. — The mother of Lindsey Baum, the 10-year-old who disappeared in 2009, spoke out Thursday for the first time since remains recovered last fall were identified as her daughter’s.

“There are no words,” Melissa Baum said. “The fact is a monster stole my 10-year-old girl and they murdered her. And they dumped her like trash in the woods.”

She says her fight has turned from searching for her daughter to finding her killer or killers.

“We need justice,” Melissa Baum said. “The people who did this to Lindsey need to be punished. And the children still out there, your children, deserve to be safe. And as long as we allow monsters like this on our streets, none of our children are safe.”

Baum disappeared while walking home from a friend’s house in the town of McCleary on June 26, 2009. Her remains were found by hunters 20 miles west of Ellensburg in a remote area in September 2017.

The FBI confirmed they were Lindsey’s remains through a DNA analysis.

Grays Harbor County Sheriff Rick Scott says the investigation is still “very active.” He says he’s encouraged by the information detectives have received.

“I believe we will bring the person or persons responsible to justice,” he said.