Hickory, N.C. -- People in Catawba and Caldwell counties reflected on a somber milestone Thursday, the day when Zahra Baker would've turned 18-years-old.
Zahra Baker was a 10-year-old bone cancer survivor, whose murder back in 2010 received international attention due to the crime's gruesome nature.
Her stepmother, Elisa Baker, admitted to killing Zahra and then dismembering her body. Brooke Johnson was a high school student outside of Raleigh at the time of the case.
"I remember it always being on the news," Johnson said.
Johnson eventually started a family and moved to Catawba County.
Her two children love playing in the Hickory park named in memory of Zahra.
"They turned something so tragic into something so great for all the kids," Johnson said. "It's just a nice outcome."
Meanwhile, Elisa Baker remains in prison where she's not expected to be released for another two decades.