In Elk River, Minnesota, a woman who placed her newborn baby in a box on the side of a road 35 years ago will not face charges, according to authorities. The Sherburne County Attorney, Kathleen Heaney, closed the case recently because the statute of limitations for filing charges had expired, as announced by the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office in a news release on Thursday.
Back in April 1989, a passerby discovered the baby’s body in Santiago Township, but at that time, investigators were unable to identify the newborn or her parents, leaving the case unresolved, the sheriff’s office confirmed. Last year, county officials revisited the case employing new techniques and receiving assistance from state and federal investigators. Through a DNA match, they identified the now 56-year-old mother, who admitted that she had concealed her pregnancy and the birth from her family. She revealed that the baby, a girl, was not breathing when she was born and, consumed by panic, she did not know how to handle the situation, as stated by the sheriff’s office.
In 1989, an autopsy was performed on the baby, with a subsequent review last year failing to conclusively determine if the baby was born alive. However, two pathologists indicated that the child likely was stillborn, according to the sheriff’s office. Although the county coroner’s office buried the baby in 1989, records of the burial site have not been located by the sheriff’s office.
