Essex officials ask for public's help finding info on baby found dead 37 years ago
In a renewed effort to solve a decades-old mystery, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office is reaching out to the public for help in identifying a newborn who was discovered dead and abandoned 37 years ago in South Orange.
On the morning of Nov. 28, 1986, sanitation workers stumbled upon the lifeless body of a baby boy atop a trash can behind an apartment building located at 5 Cottage St. in South Orange.
The infant, weighing 5 pounds, still had his umbilical cord attached and was carefully wrapped in a towel and a yellow table runner. The makeshift cradle for the abandoned newborn was a wicker picnic basket, left unceremoniously on the trash can.
Detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office are now turning to advanced forensic techniques, intending to use DNA evidence and genetic databases to identify the parents or relatives of the child.
Authorities suspect that the wicker basket may have been purchased from a local store, and they are urging the community's help in tracing its origin.
On this 37th anniversary of the heartbreaking discovery, investigators are making a public appeal for information related to the case.
They ask anyone with details that might assist in solving the case to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office tip line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or email HomicideTips@njecpo.org. All information provided will be treated confidentially.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is hopeful that the public's involvement will contribute to finally solving this cold case and providing closure for the unidentified infant and their family.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: South Orange NJ case of dead baby still unsolved from 1986
