For the families of victims killed in unsolved murders, life is at a standstill.
The Enquirer is highlighting a series of cold cases, summarized and analyzed by the journalists whose careers largely focus on unsolved murders: the creators of Cincinnati.com's Accused podcast. If you have any information on any unsolved case, please reach out to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Suggestions for cases to highlight can be sent to [email protected].
The crime: When three armed men forced their way into Heidi Bake's apartment more than a decade ago, her boyfriend knew two things: why they were there and that Bake was in danger. Antwan Little had been selling drugs – mostly marijuana, long before Ohio voters decided to make medical use legal – and Bake wasn't the type to follow robbers' orders.
"She was overprotective of me," Little said recently. "We had a solid relationship."
Little had gotten a phone call overnight June 11, 2010, from someone asking for drugs. He told the caller he could serve him in the morning. An hour later, the three men arrived.
By the time they left, Bake, 42, had been shot in the head in a homicide that remains unsolved. Little was shot in the leg.
Since the crime, he said he's left behind his criminal past and revamped his life.
The victim: Asked about Bake, Little tripped over his words a bit: "How can I explain Heidi?" But before he could say anymore, his voice cracked. "I hate talking about her," he said.
The couple had an unorthodox start to their romance. Bake had actually dated one of Little's uncles. After that relationship ended, she stayed close with the uncle's family. Then one night, Little was hiding from police at Bake's house when one of Bake's friends turned him in.
Little served 18 months. Bake was there to take him home when he was finally released.
"She was a strong force after that," he said. By 2010, the couple was sharing a Cincinnati apartment, where Little said Bake floored him with her cooking.
The investigation: Police were dispatched to the couple's apartment on Wenning Road before the break-in had turned deadly. They arrived so quickly, in fact, that when officers arrived at about 2:20 a.m., they heard muffled gunshots. They didn't see the suspects flee, however.
Because the three robbers wore masks the whole time, police were never able to release a detailed description of them. They could only say that all three were described as 6 feet tall with thin builds. Each had a gun.
They had reportedly kicked in a kitchen door while Little and Bake were in bed, then dragged the couple into separate rooms and demanded money. Little was shot in the bedroom while Bake was in the living room. Bake died the next day.
Police resurrected the case in 2016 in hopes of getting new tips but nothing came from the efforts.
Not forgotten: Bake's slaying didn't make big headlines when it happened, but her death devastated those who knew her. When her grandmother Dorothy Louise Bake died in 2014, the 87-year-old's self-written obituary described the greatest losses of her life as being when she lost her only son and Heidi Bake, her "favorite granddaughter."
Little thinks of her often. After her death, he quit selling drugs and became a heavy-equipment operator – a job that Bake had encouraged him to pursue before her death.
Got tips? People with information on Bake's case can call Cincinnati Police's homicide unit at 513-352-3542 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
Accused, reported by Enquirer journalists Amber Hunt and Amanda Rossmann, is an award-winning podcast investigating cold cases with three seasons available on all mainstream platforms such as Apple Podcasts and also at www.accusedpodcast.com.
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