The notorious New Jersey cold case of "Baby Mary" has finally been solved, as police now know who her parents were — and one of them is facing charges.
The case dates back to Christmas Eve 1984 in a remote wooded area near Mendham Township. That's when the body of a newborn girl was found wrapped in a blanket inside a plastic bag by two boys off Mt. Pleasant Road, police said. At the time she was found, the baby girl's umbilical cord was still attached.
The medical examiner later determined that the baby girl was alive when she was born and less than a day old when she died. The death was ruled a homicide.
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The case made headlines at the time, but brought few leads. The girl, whose identity was not known but was named Mary by a reverend at St. Joseph Church who baptized her after death, was later interred at the church. Every Christmas Eve since then, the community gathered at the site of the tiny grave for a somber service.
As the decades passed, the mystery grew deeper. That is until Thursday, when investigators announced they had identified the newborn's parents by using "new technology...and old-fashioned police work."
Detectives said the child's father died years ago, before being identified by investigators. There was no evidence the father was even aware of the pregnancy, let alone the child's birth and death.
The child's mother, who was 17 at the time she gave birth, now lives in South Carolina. She is now facing a juvenile delinquency complaint charging her with manslaughter, which would be a second-degree offense if it were committed by an adult. Because she was a minor at the time, her name is not being released by police.
"This arrest is the culmination of decades of effort, across multiple generations of law enforcement," said Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll. "The death and abandonment of this baby girl is a tragic loss and even after nearly 40 years, remains just as heartbreaking. Justice may not take the form the public has imagined all these years, but we believe with this juvenile delinquency complaint, justice is being served for Baby Mary. Nothing can right this terrible wrong."
Police said that New Jersey didn't have the safe haven protections for mothers and families that it does today, and wanted families to know help is available.
"I want young parents to know that there is help available. In 1984, the Safe Haven Infant Protection Act did not exist but, on August 7, 2000, the Act became law," said Sheriff James Gannon. "The legislation allows parents or their representatives to anonymously surrender a newborn baby at any hospital emergency room, police station, fire station, ambulance, first aid, or rescue squads that are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If the baby appears to be 30 days old or less, and free of any abuse or neglect, the baby will be accepted with no questions asked.”
Anyone with information regarding Baby Mary's death is encouraged to contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Mendham Township Police or Morris County Sherriff's Office.
