Vermont police close dead baby case after more than 40 years and announce no charges

NORTHFIELD, Vermont — More than 40 years after some Vermont children waiting for a school bus discovered a dead baby on the side of the road, state police announced they have found the infant’s parents and no charges will be filed against him.

The dead baby was found in Northfield on April 1, 1982, state police said Wednesday. Investigators determined the dead baby was a recently born boy, but his identity was unknown. An autopsy could not determine the cause of death or whether the baby died of pre-existing medical conditions, police said.

Initial investigations have not yielded any clues as to the identity of the infant or its parents, police said. A DNA test as evidence was not possible at the time and the case is still unsolved, police said.

In 2020, state police partnered with a DNA technology company to conduct genealogical analysis. The work was funded by donations. In 2021, the company provided possible names of the baby’s biological mother and father, who had ties to the Northfield area in 1982.

Vermont State Police said they contacted the individuals at their home in Maine and obtained DNA from them confirming they were the parents. The father told police he left Vermont for an extended period of time in 1982 and did not know about the pregnancy or the disposal of the dead baby. The mother admitted she illegally disposed of the dead child. She said she did not know she was pregnant and had no symptoms until she began experiencing abdominal pain. She lay alone in labor for several hours and then lost consciousness, she told police. When she came to, she realized she had given birth to a baby, but the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and he did not survive, police said.

She said she had planned to find a spot in the woods to bury him, but as she walked through the woods she thought she heard voices and became frightened. She slipped, the baby fell from her arms and she ran, police said.

State police consulted with the district attorney about the case, who concluded that a murder charge was unjustified, police said. Charges related to the unauthorized disposal of a body are statute-barred, police said.