The Heidi Bake case: three men, a kicked-in kitchen door, and a shooting in the dark.
On June 11, 2010, three men kicked in a side kitchen door at a home on Wenning Road in Colerain Township, dragged Heidi Bake, 41, and her companion from bed, attacked them and demanded money. Both were shot. She died the next day. He survived. No one has been charged.
Case file at a glance
Deputies reached the home within two minutes of the dispatch and heard the shots. The attackers were gone. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office has asked for tips since 2016 and says it has interviewed several suspects. The survivor has spoken publicly, but the motive remains unclear.
- Responders were seconds away.Officers heading to a possible burglary heard gunshots on arrival, within two minutes of the dispatch, according to the Attorney General listing.
- Three men, a forced door.They kicked in a side kitchen door, dragged the couple from bed, attacked them and demanded money.
- Two people shot.Bake was shot in the head and died the next day. Her companion was shot in the leg and survived.
- No arrest in sixteen years.The sheriff's office has publicly asked for tips and has not announced charges.
Editorial assessment of public sources, not a finding of fact. Nobody named here has been charged unless this page says so.
What happened
Details come from the Ohio Attorney General listing (case 290) and 2016 local reports. We found nothing newer than about 2017.
The dispatch
Patrol units are sent to a possible burglary or robbery in progress at a nearby address. En route, officers learn from GPS tracking that the address is 2522 Wenning Road. They arrive within two minutes of the dispatch and hear gunshots.
Inside
Officers are told two people have been shot by an unknown suspect who kicked in the door and fled. They find Bake with a gunshot wound to the head in the living room area, and her companion shot in the leg.
What investigators learned
Three unknown men kicked in a side kitchen door while the couple were in bed, dragged them out, attacked them, and demanded money. Her companion was shot in the bedroom and Bake in the living room or hallway.
She dies
Heidi Bake dies the day after the shooting. Her companion survives.
Public appeal
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Section asks the public for tips. Local reports in 2016 describe the three men as armed, thin, and wearing white T-shirts.
The survivor speaks
In a FOX19 interview, her companion says he believes the attack was tied to a drug deal. We could not verify this and the sheriff's office is not quoted confirming it. -Maybe
Victims
A woman and her companion attacked at home in the night.
Photo: Ohio Attorney General, unsolved-homicide listing. The source states no reuse license; shown at the site owner's direction. Contact us to have it removed.
DiedHeidi Bake, 41
Born in 1968. Shot in the head during the home invasion and died the next day.
Photo: Ohio Attorney General, unsolved-homicide listing. The source states no reuse license; shown at the site owner's direction. Contact us to have it removed.
SurvivedHer companion
Shot in the leg. He has spoken to the press. We do not name living private individuals.
The photo of Heidi Bake is from the Ohio Attorney General's listing and is credited under it. Where a card shows a silhouette, we found no photo. Anyone who wants a photo added, changed, or removed can use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Evidence
What exists, and what each piece may or may not mean.
| Item | What is known | Disputed or unknown |
|---|---|---|
| The entry | A side kitchen door was kicked in. | Forensic work on the door and scene: not public. |
| The shooting | Bake shot in the head; her companion shot in the leg. | Caliber and number of weapons: not public in the sources we read. |
| The suspects | Three men, described in 2016 reports as armed, thin, in white T-shirts. | No sketch or footage is public. |
| Motive | The attackers demanded money. | The survivor's drug-deal claim is unverified. |
| Interviews | The sheriff's office says it interviewed several suspects. | Names and outcomes: not public. |
Public documents
The state listing summarizes the incident.
| Document | Holder | What it shows | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heidi Nicholle Bake, case 290 | Ohio Attorney General | State listing with narrative. | Online, free |
| Hamilton County Sheriff case file | Hamilton County Sheriff | The investigation. | Withheld or sealed |
Access labels: Online, free = we could open it. Fan-hosted copy = a private researcher posted scans; originals are held by the named agency, and we cannot vouch for completeness. Quoted in news = reporters read it; we did not see the document itself. Request needed = held by an agency or court. Withheld = the holder has not released it. We cannot reach non-public records, and we do not try to.
Online discussion (unverified)
Where people talk about this case online, and how to read it.
| Platform | Live search | What you tend to find |
|---|---|---|
| Google: Reddit | site:reddit.com search | Public Reddit threads that Google has indexed, including old discussions. |
| Google: X and Twitter | X and Twitter posts | Public posts and profiles that appear in search results. |
| Google: Facebook | Public Facebook pages and posts | Only public pages and groups that Google can see. Private groups never appear. |
| Google: Instagram and TikTok | Instagram and TikTok | Public posts, memorials, and videos. |
| Google: forums | Forums and message boards | Long-running true-crime forums. |
| Google News | Latest news | Newest reporting, which is usually more reliable than posts. |
| Search Reddit | Long discussion threads and theories, often by amateur researchers. No sign-in needed to read. | |
| X (Twitter) | Search X | Short posts, news links, and anniversary notes. May require sign-in. |
| Search Facebook | Public groups and family or community pages. Requires sign-in. | |
| Search #heidibake | Memorial and true-crime posts. Requires sign-in. | |
| YouTube | Search YouTube | Documentaries, news clips, and interviews. Quality varies widely. |
Be careful with online theories. Naming a private person as a suspect can harm an innocent family, and many "identifications" on forums have been wrong. Our own tools could not read these platforms: Reddit blocks automated access, and the others require an account. The Google searches above work from your browser. To get new public mentions by email, make a free Google Alert for the case name in quotation marks.
Coverage timeline and verification
What local and national reports say, and when we last checked for a solution.
| Date | Outlet | What it reported | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | |||
| WCPO; FOX19 | |||
| Sheriff's office asks for tips (summaries seen in search results). | |||
| Read | |||
| Current | |||
| Ohio Attorney General | |||
| Case 290 listing (opened). | |||
| Read |
Status is re-checked on a regular schedule. If you know of a development we missed, use the clue form near the top of this page or the contact form, and include a link.
Suspects
No suspect has been publicly named.
Three men who entered the home
Why named: They forced the kitchen door, attacked the couple, and demanded money.
Against: No names or arrests have been reported.
Persons interviewed by the sheriff
Why named: The sheriff's office told reporters it had interviewed several suspects.
Against: No charges have been filed and no names released.
Where a card shows a silhouette, we found no photo. Anyone who wants a photo added, changed, or removed can use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Latest lead: a tip appeal and the survivor's account
The newest public material is a 2016 appeal and the survivor's later interview.
What is known
- Deputies arrived within two minutes of the dispatch and heard the shots.
- Three men entered by force and demanded money, according to the Attorney General listing.
- The sheriff's office asked for tips in 2016. The newest coverage we found is about 2017.
What would settle it
- Trace the dispatch. The 911 or alarm call that sent officers to a neighboring address is a possible clue about who called and when.
- Re-test the scene evidence including the door and any clothing for DNA.
- Re-interview the people who were interviewed in 2010 with current records.
A targeted robbery by men who expected cash or drugs in the house
We put the chance that the attack was targeted at the home rather than random at roughly 70%, because the men forced a side door and demanded money. We put the chance of a solution within five years at roughly 10%, because we found no public physical evidence.
Editorial judgment, not statistics.
Elimination matrix
"—" means no public information, not a clean result.
| Person or idea | At the scene | Physical link | Legal outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three attackers (unidentified) | ✓ per survivor and police | — none published | — unidentified |
| Persons interviewed (unnamed) | ? unknown | — none published | — none charged |
| Drug-related motive | ? survivor's belief | — | — |
✗ excluded or contradicted · ✓ supports · ? disputed · — nothing public. No cell is an official finding.
Our hypothesis
Editorial reading of public records. A working theory, not a finding, and it names no individual.
A planned home invasion for money, ending in a shooting
- The men came for something. They demanded money.
- They entered by force at night. The couple were in bed.
- The shootings were close together. Two people were shot in two rooms.
- Someone knew the house. Targeted entry at a side door suggests knowledge, but we cannot show it.
Judgment, not statistics.
Missing links
Questions raised by gaps in the public record.
1. The call
Who made the report that sent deputies to a nearby address, and why.
2. The weapons
Caliber and any link to other Hamilton County shootings.
3. The vehicle
How the three men arrived and left.
4. The people interviewed
Who was interviewed in 2010 and what changed since.
5. The survivor's account
Whether the sheriff's office has confirmed or ruled out the drug-deal explanation.
6. Neighbors and cameras
Any neighborhood footage or witnesses from Wenning Road.
Evidence gaps
"Not public" means we could not find a report.
| Item | Tested | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| Door and scene | Processed in 2010. | Results: not public. |
| Bullets and casings | Presumably collected. | Ballistic results: not public. |
| Sheriff's file | Held by the Hamilton County Sheriff. | Public index: not available. |
Forensic tech
| Tool | What it could do | Status here |
|---|---|---|
| DNA from retained evidence | Identify a donor or exclude people. | Unknown; not reported |
| Forensic genetic genealogy | Identify an unknown donor from relatives. | Needs usable DNA; none reported |
| Ballistics database (NIBIN) | Link recovered casings or bullets to other crimes. | Not reported |
Solved cases
Local cases that moved after decades.
Carol Sue Klaber (Boone County, KY, 1976)
Investigators say a private genealogy investigation helped them identify Thomas Dunaway, who died in 1990, as the man who killed the 16-year-old. He cannot be indicted, so prosecutors sent a letter saying he would have been charged. The lesson: genealogy can name a killer after decades, even when no trial is possible.
Forensic genetic genealogy training
In 2024, local investigators were being trained in the technique, which has already helped solve Cincinnati-area cases, according to FOX19. The lesson: the tool is now local, so cases with usable DNA have a real path forward.
Golden State Killer
Old crime-scene DNA matched relatives in a public database and led to a 2018 arrest. The lesson: a usable sample can still work after decades.
Case details come from public news coverage and the Boone County Sheriff's cold-case list. Confirm in court records.
False leads
| Claim | Source and date | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| It was a drug deal | The survivor, FOX19 interview | Unverified. The sheriff's office is not quoted confirming it. |
| FOX19 2020 "Colerain" story | FOX19, June 30, 2020 | That report is about a different 2010 Colerain Township case on Windsong Drive. Do not confuse them. |
| Race or description details | Various | We repeat only the generic description from 2016 reports. |
Where
The home is on Wenning Road in Colerain Township, northwest of downtown Cincinnati.
Open in maps: Wenning Road, Colerain Township. We show no photograph of the scene.
Source ratings
| Source | Type | Rating | Use with care because |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Attorney General listing, case 290 | Agency | A | Summary of the narrative; we read it, not the full file. |
| WCPO and FOX19, 2016 | Local news | B+ | Seen in search results; not opened in full. Descriptions repeat the sheriff's words. |
| FOX19 survivor interview | Local news | B | Seen in search results; not opened. His drug claim is his belief. |
Records
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
Lead agency, Criminal Investigation Section. A 2016 appeal listed 513-595-7490; please confirm before calling.
Hamilton County Prosecutor
Charging decisions.
Ohio Attorney General (BCI)
The state's unsolved-homicide listing, case 290.
Sample public-records request
Under the Ohio Public Records Act, I request copies of non-exempt records relating to the June 11, 2010 shooting of Heidi Bake at 2522 Wenning Road, Colerain Township, including incident reports, laboratory reports, and any evidence inventory. Please send electronic copies. If any part is withheld, please identify the exemption relied on and release all reasonably segregable material.
Agencies often withhold records of open investigations, so expect partial answers.
Remembering the victims
Heidi was 41. She died the day after the shooting.
News & databases
In the news
Loading headlines…
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Where they disagree, we say so above.
- Heidi Nicholle Bake, Unsolved Homicide, case 290, Ohio Attorney General (date, address, narrative; opened).
- Investigators want help solving 2010 homicide of Colerain Township woman, WCPO (seen in search results; not opened).
- Hamilton County investigators asking for tips in cold case murder, FOX19 (seen in search results; not opened).
The 2016 suspect description and the detective phone number come from search-result summaries and are unverified. The survivor's drug-deal claim is his belief and is unverified. Do not confuse this case with the June 5, 2010 double homicide on Windsong Drive in Colerain Township, which is a different case. We found nothing newer than about 2017.
Change log
- Oct 8, 2026: File published.