GARY, IN – A nine-month pregnant Indiana woman has been missing for over six weeks, vanishing just days after learning she was dilated and could give birth at any moment. Her family is making desperate pleas for information as the search continues.
Emma Baum disappeared on October 10 after her sister dropped her off at her boyfriend’s house in Gary, Indiana. Emma, a mother of three, was in her final weeks of pregnancy and had been told just six days earlier that she was already dilated one centimeter.
The last time Emma’s family saw her, she promised her sister she’d return home the next day. That was the last anyone heard from her. When the weekend passed with no word from Emma, her mother grew worried and called Emma’s boyfriend, Antwon Butler, who is the father of her unborn child.
Butler’s story has changed multiple times since Emma’s disappearance, raising serious red flags for investigators and family members. He initially told Emma’s mother that she had left his house with an unknown girl in a vehicle he couldn’t describe. But his account has shifted repeatedly since then, making it impossible for anyone to know what really happened.
“We just want Emma home,” her family said during an emotional plea outside Butler’s residence. “She’s got three kids who need their mom, and a baby who should be here by now.”
Butler was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on unrelated charges, but he hasn’t been charged in connection with Emma’s disappearance. Investigators are treating the case as a missing person investigation while they work to piece together what happened.
The timing of Emma’s disappearance is particularly troubling. At nine months pregnant and already dilated, she would have needed immediate medical attention if she went into labor. The fact that no hospital in the region has any record of her giving birth has family members fearing the worst.
Search efforts have covered Gary and surrounding areas, but weeks of looking have produced no solid leads. Emma’s family has organized search parties and distributed flyers throughout the community, hoping someone saw something that could help bring her home.
Emma’s three children are staying with family members while everyone waits for answers. Her mother describes her daughter as a loving mom who would never voluntarily abandon her kids, especially not when she was so close to delivering her fourth child.
Anyone with information about Emma Baum’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Gary Police Department immediately. Her family continues to hold out hope that she and her baby are alive and will be found safe.
