Meet Martha: A woman of quiet strength

To give you a deeper glimpse into Martha's character and author's writing style, we're thrilled to share an exclusive interview Martha conducted after a pivotal moment: finding a child during a search and rescue mission. This piece offers an opportunity to connect with Martha on a personal level before diving into her full story.

The Search for Emily

REPORTER

Good afternoon. I’m here just outside of the small town of Riverton here in Nova Scotia, where an incredible search effort has come to a hopeful conclusion. After several difficult days, missing 7 year old child Emily Carter has been found safe. Standing with us today is the woman many are calling a key part of that discovery — local psychic and intuitive guide, Martha Baker.

Martha, thank you for joining us during what must be an overwhelming and emotional moment. The whole town wants to understand what happened.

Can you take us back to the moment you first became involved in Emily Carter’s disappearance? What was the first thing you sensed or experienced that made you believe you could help?

Martha Baker

Oh, let’s see, I was washing my dishes and I got the smell of fresh pine trees. I knew then something was coming. That was what came first, the smell of pine.

REPORTER

The smell of fresh pine. That’s remarkably specific. When you experienced that, did you immediately associate it with Emily’s disappearance, or did you only understand what it meant later?

Martha Baker

Sometimes I get hints that are really obvious, but it depends on who is giving me the information. One of my guides likes to have fun with me, so will only give me clues but nothing specific right away. Usually in those cases I don’t always know what the messages are related to.

REPORTER

So when you smelled the pine, you didn’t necessarily know it was connected to Emily at first. When did you realize that particular message was about her—and what was the next clue you received?

Martha Baker

Once I caught on to it being about Emily, I sat down and focused on her. I then was looking through the world through her eyes. Being a little girl, everything was low to the ground, including the branches and bushes. This makes it hard because one bush looks like another!

REPORTER

When you say you were looking through Emily’s eyes, what exactly were you seeing? Was there anything distinctive about the trees, the ground, a sound, or even a feeling that eventually helped you narrow down where she might be?

Martha Baker

No, that’s just it. It doesn’t matter if you are in someone else’s eyes! If they are lost, it doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t lost! I had to keep watching until I got a feel from my own experiences where she might be. I knew the general area because I had been told.

REPORTER

That sounds like an important distinction—you could see what Emily was seeing, but that didn’t necessarily tell you where she was. Once you had that general area in mind, what finally gave you the feeling that you were getting close to where Emily actually was?

Martha Baker

Well, Emily stumbled on a path and the path had a sign that said ‘washrooms this way.’ I am more a details person and have zero sense of direction myself, so I had been lost on that trail several times myself. I recognized the sign immediately, however, I had to pass that information on immediately because she was still on the move.

REPORTER

So recognizing that sign was the first moment when your own experience gave you something concrete to work with. But Emily was still moving, which meant the information could change from one moment to the next. When you passed that detail along, what happened next?

Martha Baker

Oh, the search and rescue guys knew where I meant immediately and went off on their merry way! I then got another flash of her moving off the trail towards water. Very frustrating, but I passed that on also immediately.

REPORTER

And then you received another impression—Emily moving away from the trail toward water. At that point, did you have any sense of what kind of water she was heading toward, or were you simply certain that water was the important detail?

Martha Baker

I never get information that doesn’t help. The trick is to recognize what it means. Sometimes I get it right away, such as in Emily’s case, but in other cases, it can take a while for it all to make sense. I wanted to make sure she was safe because I had no idea if she could swim.

REPORTER

That must have been a frightening realization, especially knowing she could be heading toward water and not knowing whether she could swim. Once you understood that the water was significant, what was the next thing you perceived—and how did you know it was time to act on it?

Martha Baker

Next thing I hopped in my old truck and headed out to the scene. I wasn’t taking any chances. I was so connected to her I felt responsible. So I grabbed my dog Ziggy and off we went. He is a border collie and I knew his nose was better than mine. He sniffed a piece of clothing the team had there and off we went.

REPORTER

So at that point, you weren’t content to simply pass along what you were sensing—you decided to go there yourself, with Ziggy, because you felt personally responsible for helping bring Emily home. When you and your border collie arrived at the search area, what happened when he picked up her scent?

Martha Baker

I could barely keep up! I am not as young as I used to be and remember, I get lost easily too, so I couldn’t let Ziggy off his lead! He more or less dragged me to where she was. As I was dragged along I recognized ferns and fallen trees, etc., but really it was all a bit of a blur.

REPORTER

And then, after all those impressions and clues, your dog essentially led you straight to her. When you finally saw Emily, what was going through your mind in that moment—and what was Emily’s reaction when she realized you had found her?

Martha Baker

Well, I didn’t find her in the end, Ziggy did and I had no time to have anything go through my mind. Ziggy felt Emily was too close to the rushing river and went up and grabbed her clothing.

REPORTER

So your dog sensed the danger before you even had time to process what was happening. When he grabbed Emily’s clothing and you realized just how close she was to that rushing river, what did you see when you finally reached her?

Martha Baker

I saw a very frightened and then relieved child who, of course, then had to pat my dog! I then had Ziggy speak and before you knew it, we were all being led out by the team.

REPORTER

It sounds like Ziggy became quite the hero that day—and I imagine Emily wasn’t the only one relieved to see him. Once the search-and-rescue team got everyone safely back out, did you have a moment to reflect on just how close Emily may have been to that river?

Martha Baker

No, I was too busy being grateful what I had been receiving was in the moment and not later when it could have been Emily’s spirit leading me on. One never knows with these things. Time is not relevant on the other side.

REPORTER

That’s a fascinating thought—that the timing of what you receive may be just as important as the information itself. Looking back now, after seeing Emily safely reunited with her family, do you feel this experience has changed the way you understand your own abilities?

Martha Baker

Naw, not really. It is what it is. It was team effort and I am just glad my boy and I could help.

REPORTER

You keep coming back to the idea that it was a team effort, rather than taking credit yourself. Do you think that humility comes from having done this kind of work before, or is that simply how you’ve always viewed what you’re able to do?

Martha Baker

Never really thought about it. I believe in giving credit where credit is due and those search and rescue guys put in a hell of a lot of hours. I just go a few flashes and a brisk walk with my dog!

REPORTER

A ‘few flashes and a brisk walk,’ as you put it—but those flashes it seems has helped point the search team in the right direction on more than one occasion. For someone watching this who has a missing loved one and is wondering whether they should reach out to you, what would you want them to know?

Martha Baker

If they reach out to the guys, they will pass the info on to me. I can’t have lost spirits knocking on my wall day and night. I value my peace and my privacy. I need it. It is my sanctuary.

REPORTER

So there are boundaries, even when you’re willing to help—and your home and your privacy are important to you. One last question, then: after everything that happened with Emily, what do you hope people in this community take away from her story?

Martha Baker

Yeh, keep a better eye on your kids especially when water and woods are involved.

REPORTER

That’s a message every parent can understand. Martha, thank you for speaking with us today—and, perhaps most importantly, for reminding everyone that when it comes to children, a little extra vigilance around the woods and water can make all the difference.

From all of us here in Riverton, Emily’s safe return is a welcome ending to what could have been a very different story. And today, Martha Baker is giving most of the credit to the search-and-rescue team—and to her four-legged partner Ziggy, who apparently wasn’t about to let a rushing river stand between him and a missing little girl.

In Martha's belly there lies a sleeping dragon she definitely does her best not to let out! It is a quiet fire, reminding us that true power often lies in the most unexpected places."