Sherburne County investigators close case against woman who left baby in a box in 1989

A 35-year-old case in Sherburne County involving a dead infant has been closed, according to officials.

Sherburne County investigators and the County Attorney’s Office have closed the case without filing charges against a woman who left her newborn baby in a box by the road in Santiago Township in 1989.

According to authorities, the baby girl was found dead on April 23, 1989, by someone who had noticed the box days earlier.

During the initial investigation, officials could not determine the identity of the baby or the parents and the case remained unsolved for decades.

In 2023, investigators revisited the case with new investigative techniques and additional help from the Minnesota BCA and the FBI.

A breakthrough occurred in the case when the Criminal Investigative Division of the Sheriff’s Office identified the mother through a DNA match.

During interviews, the mother admitted to hiding her pregnancy and birth from her family. She also said that the baby was not alive at birth and, in a state of panic, she didn’t know how to handle the situation.

Officials say that the original autopsy in 1989 and a reexamination in late 2023 could not definitively determine whether the baby was born alive. Two pathologists, however, believe the child likely was a stillborn, according to the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office.

Sherburne County Attorney Kathleen Heaney reviewed the case file and closed the case earlier this month.

“While the disposal of the child’s body was not in accord with law, the statute of limitations has run and thereby forecloses any charges,” wrote Heaney in her memo closing the case.

After the autopsy, the baby’s body was released to the Sherburne County Coroner’s Office, which then arranged a burial. The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office has worked to find the records that show where the infant was buried, but the efforts have been unsuccessful.

Anyone with information about where the baby is buried should contact the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office at 763-765-3500.