The biological mother of murdered 10-year-old Zahra Baker has flown from Australia to North Carolina as prosecutors and the lawyer for the woman accused of the killing negotiate a possible plea deal.
To accommodate Emily Dietrich's long flight from Wagga Wagga in country NSW, a court hearing set for Wednesday in the Catawba County Courthouse has been pushed back a day.
At Thursday's re-scheduled hearing, prosecutors and lawyers for the woman accused of the murder and dismemberment, Zahra's stepmother Elisa Baker, are expected to announce if they have reached a plea deal.
Baker, 43, was facing up to 30 years in jail if found guilty of a second degree murder charge, but could face less jail time if a plea deal is reached.
News of a potential deal has angered locals in the North Carolina town of Hickory, where Zahra lived with her biological father, Adam Baker, and her stepmother.
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Zahra and her father moved from their Queensland home to North Carolina in 2008 after Mr Baker met his future wife on the internet. Zahra had her lower left leg amputated as a five-year-old after battling bone cancer in Australia.
She was reported missing from the family's Hickory home on October 9, although police suspect she could have died a fortnight earlier.
The 10-year-old's body was dismembered and parts were scattered in bushland outside of Hickory, police said.
