NJ police seek to identify abandoned baby found dead 37 years ago
NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) -- New Jersey detectives hope to crack a case involving a dead newborn who was abandoned in South Orange the day after Thanksgiving 37 years ago.
Sanitation workers discovered the baby on top of a trash can, tucked in a wicker basket, behind an apartment building on Nov. 28, 1986, New Jersey officials said.
At a mere 5 pounds, the baby boy was wrapped in a towel and a yellow table runner with his umbilical cord still attached. The basket might have been purchased from a local store, authorities said.
Investigators intend to use DNA evidence and genetic databases to find the parents or any relatives of the baby. On Wednesday, they also released photos and asked for the public's help to solve the decades-old mystery.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with information about the case to please call its tip line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or email HomicideTips@njecpo.org. The information can be kept confidential.
Charline Charles is a digital journalist from Brooklyn who has covered local news along with culture and arts in the New York City area since 2019. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.