More than 40 years after children found a dead baby near a road, Vermont police find the infant’s parents and close the case

More than 40 years after some children in Vermont waiting for a school bus discovered a dead baby on the side of the road, state police announced they had found the infant’s parents and no charges would 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.

“Although the manner of death was never classified as homicide, investigators always treated this case as a homicide until that classification could be ruled out,” 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.

Marge Czok, who lives in Northfield, told CBS affiliate WCAX-TV that she was working at a doctor’s office when police began their investigation.

“It was a shock, a total shock,” Czok said. “The doctors were discussing what had happened and it was just so sad that it even happened.”

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 knew nothing about the pregnancy or the disposal of the dead baby.

The mother admitted to illegally disposing of the dead infant. She said she did not know she was pregnant and had no symptoms until she started having abdominal pains. She was 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.

“They were able to get a lot of details out of her. And because they were able to spend time with her, talk to her and understand the situation from her perspective, there’s really no reason for us not to believe her,” said Vermont State Police Captain Jeremy Hill.

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.

“This resolution has taken decades to come to fruition,” the police said in a statement. “The Vermont State Police would like to thank the citizens who provided information and donated to fund the genetic testing and analysis.”

In April 1982, a minister named the baby Matthew Isaac and the funeral was held at St. Mary’s Church in Northfield, police said. Matthew Isaac Doe was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery after the funeral service.