Photo: CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP/Getty Images
Christmas Eve 1984 had a heartbreaking episode in a New Jersey park, when a newborn, nicknamed “Baby Mary”, was found in a New Jersey park.. At the time of discovery, the girl’s umbilical cord was still attached when she was found and was wrapped in a towel inside a plastic bag.
The baby was reported by a police officer after she was found by two young children in a secluded park in Mendham Township, Morris County District Attorney Robert Carrol said.
The woman, who was 17 at the time, was arrested in South Carolina on April 24 and charged as a minor with manslaughter.. She is not in custody but she is “being monitored,” Carroll said.
The notorious New Jersey cold case of “Baby Mary” dating back four decades has finally been solved, as police now know who her parents were — and one of them is facing chargeshttps://t.co/jQku7fcqNy
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) September 8, 2023
“The death and abandonment of this girl is a tragic loss, and even after 40 years it remains just as heartbreaking,” Carroll said.
The woman’s name was not released as she was a minor when the death occurred. The identity of the girl’s father, who was 19 at the time, was also determined, Carroll said, but authorities said he did not know the baby was born and was not involved in her death.
So far, no possible reason or motive for the baby’s abandonment has been revealed. A breakthrough in the case came several years ago when a DNA match was made between the baby and the father, Carroll said, though he declined to comment further.
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