Authorities in New Jersey have charged a South Carolina woman with manslaughter nearly 40 years after her newborn baby was found in a plastic bag with her umbilical cord still attached.
Mendham Township Police Chief Ross Johnson said that the mother will not be publicly identified since she was a juvenile at the time of the baby’s death.
On Christmas Eve in 1984, two boys made the grisly discovery of a “deceased newborn” in a remote area of Mendham Township.
The newborn, later known as “Baby Mary”, was found wrapped in a towel. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Earlier this year, the infant’s mother was named through DNA technology. On April 24, she was charged in South Carolina with manslaughter as a juvenile delinquent.
Baby Mary’s biological father was a 19 year old at the time of her death. Prosecutors said that he passed away in 2009.
“About two years ago, the DNA evidence started becoming important,” said Johnson.
“About a year ago, we were able to identify some people and eventually the father.”
