In July 2019, the remains of an unidentified infant, less than a year old, were discovered inside a residence in St. Louis, Missouri when a man was cleaning out the home of his recently deceased mother.
Detectives from St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Child Abuse and Homicide Units responded to the call and found a male infant who had been wrapped in a blanket, placed into a cardboard box, and stored inside of the home's freezer.
A preliminary analysis led investigators to believe that the clothing worn by the deceased infant were made in the mid- to late-1960s. The infant had likely spent decades in the freezer before being discovered. Little information was available to investigators to aid in identifying the infant as well as the circumstances surrounding his death. The cause of death could not be determined conclusively, either.
In March 2023, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department teamed with Othram to leverage advanced DNA testing to help generate new leads that could identify the unknown male infant and his family. Forensic evidence from the infant was submitted to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing, Othram scientists developed a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown infant.
During the course of the investigation, a concerned citizen contacted the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department with information about potential relatives of the infant. Investigators worked with the candidate relatives to obtain reference DNA samples that could be used to determine if, in fact, they were related to the unidentified infant.
The comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown infant was compared with the DNA profiles of two candidate family members and this testing, along with a follow up investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Detectives, confirmed a familial relationship between the two candidate family members and the infant. While investigators could not find evidence that the infant was legally named, they were able to establish that the infant was a half-brother to both candidate family members.
The medical examiner’s office ruled out the death as one stemming from a homicide, though what caused the baby’s death has still not been determined.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Othram gratefully acknowledge Audiochuck, an Indianapolis-based media company that develops true crime content, for funding the costs associated with advanced DNA testing in this case.
Republished courtesy of DNASolves/Othram.