NO ANSWERS IN 2001 TARA-LOUISE BAKER MURDER

Tara-Louise Baker was a first year law student at the University of Georgia. Bright, enthusiastic, and friendly, Tara had a wide circle of friends and was admired by teachers and students alike. Tara, an excellent student with a passion for law, had a bright future ahead of her. But on Friday, January 19th 2001, just hours before her 24th birthday, Tara was brutally murdered in her off-campus apartment.
Tara was last seen alive by her friend Gus Suarez, shortly after their contracts class finished.  Gus later told cops that he had a feeling he should say goodbye to Tara but for some reason didn’t. He said: "There has not been a day that I haven't regretted my decision."
Firefighters discovered Tara’s body after responding to a blaze at her apartment.  The cause of Tara’s death has been kept a closely guarded
secret by cops. However, as leads dried up over the years, cops have disseminated more information regarding the case. According to detectives, a white man of average build was seen fleeing Baker’s home at 7 am on the morning she was murdered. There were items taken from Baker’s home including a laptop computer – which has yet to resurface. The refusal of cops to release the death certificate (only the killer knows how Tara died) is a cause of heartbreak for Baker’s family.
Tara’s father, Lindsay Baker, speaking 10 years after her death, still doesn’t feel as though his family have fully laid the beloved young woman to rest. He said: “Some unscrupulous people have used her identification to obtain credit and a cell phone and other things because Tara's still alive on paper. We get bills and other mail several times a week with Tara's name on it, and it's just gut-wrenching. Her mother doesn't even want to go to the mailbox."
If the family could get the death certificate, Lindsay Baker said, "that would be a big step to burying her completely" and a chance at some closure.
If you have any information that may help solve this case please contact Detective Sgt. Mike Tyndell, Athens-Clarke County Police Dept. 706-613-3337 or miketyndell@co.clarke.ga.us or GBI Special Agent Monica Bumgarner at 706-542-7901.