The father of Australian girl Zahra Baker has been evicted from their home in the small North Carolina town of Hickory, from where the 10-year-old went missing nearly a month ago.

Police believe Wagga Wagga-born Zahra, who lost a leg to cancer, may have met with foul play weeks before she was reported missing on October 9 and have not ruled out her father or his American wife as suspects.

Hickory police found Zahra's prosthetic leg near where her stepmother once lived, while US media is now reporting a bone found by police in the same area could be that of the missing girl.

Police say the bone was recovered in neighbouring Caldwell County, where her family lived until mid-September.

It has now been sent to the state medical examiner's office who will determine if it belongs to her.

Elisa Baker, 42, who met Adam Baker on the internet, is in custody for allegedly writing a bogus ransom note several hours before police were alerted that Zahra was missing.

According to the Hickory Daily News, about 15 people watched on Tuesday afternoon as Adam Baker returned to the home with his mother, brother and lawyer.

Several people yelled taunts to Baker as he left the home.

They went into the backyard and took photos before going inside the house.

Mr Baker's landlord then arrived and told a crowd gathered outside that he was evicting Baker.

"I'm putting him out on the street," he said.

He would not give a reason, but said the police search had made his property uninhabitable.

Police had searched the house, focusing on the kitchen and bathroom. They removed sections of ceiling, floor and plumbing, the Daily News said.

The Hickory police department said the house was no longer considered part of the search.

Mr Baker left the house with his head bowed and carrying a suitcase, refusing to answer the media's questions about Zahra.

His lawyer Mark Killian would not talk about the case or why he was at the house, but said Mr Baker was struggling.

"It's just real tough for him, obviously," Mr Killian said.

Investigators are continuing to check wooded areas and illegal dump areas for Zahra.

"We're still hard at work on this investigation. We're checking every lead and we've got a lot of evidence to be processed," Hickory police Captain Thurman Whisnant said.

- AAP