HICKORY, N.C. — An estimated 350 people are volunteering through Saturday to build a park in memory of a 10-year-old disabled girl from Australia whose stepmother killed her in North Carolina.
Volunteers began work Thursday on the Zahra Baker All Children's Playground in Hickory where equipment is being installed, courtesy of more than $200,000 in donations.
Zahra was killed and dismembered in 2010. Her stepmother, Elisa Baker, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder. Zahra's father, Adam, returned to his Australia in January with his daughter's remains.
Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright said it's fitting the playground is being built during Child Abuse Prevention Month. Official dedication of the park is planned for May.
Zahra wore a prosthetic leg, a result of her fight with two bouts of cancer.
WSOC
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