Posted on 01/16/2020 5:37:36 AM PST by Morgana
DNA helped police solve a 32-year-old cold case and track down the mother of a newborn boy who was found dead in a Connecticut parking lot in January 1988.
The baby, whom police named David Paul, was found abandoned and frozen to death at the base of a tree in a wooded section of a parking lot in Meriden, about 22 miles southwest of Hartford.
A medical examiner found that the baby, who was a few days old, died from exposure to frigid temperatures, Meriden Police Chief Jeffry W. Cossette said at a news conference on Tuesday.
His mother was identified earlier this month as Karen Kuzmak Roche. No charges are expected in the case because the statute of limitations on manslaughter is 20 years, Cossette said.
Cossette gave credit on solving the case to Colleen Fitzpatrick, a forensic genealogist consultant who founded Identifinders International, which consults with individuals and law enforcement on genealogical and DNA matters.
Around 2012, investigators with the Meriden police who were working on the David Paul case connected with Fitzpatrick, who agreed to offer her assistance. In 2014, she identified a possible last name for the baby and in 2017, DNA helped authorities find distant relatives of the baby.
Two years later, in 2019, Fitzpatrick used family-tree DNA to help investigators identify female family members who had previously lived in the neighborhood where the baby was found. This new information led detectives to the baby's mother, police said.
On Jan. 2, which marked the 32nd anniversary of the death, investigators questioned Roche about the death.
She admitted to abandoning the child, Cossette told reporters.
"Ms. Roche indicated she'd been waiting 32 years for the day in which police would be knocking on her door regarding this incident," the police chief said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Kudos to the police for bringing this person to justice all these years later. So sad to think where that baby would be today at age 32, and all he would have experienced so far.
What justice?
She walks after murdering her child.
Bitches are better moms then her.
Typical violent Democrat.
“Kudos to the police for bringing this person to justice all these years later.”
How was she brought to justice???
Mixed feelings.
They identified the mother/murderer.
But no charges. No justice.
OTOH, this shows that there is a large enough DNA database to find just about anyone, even if they don’t have a record.
Good for law enforcement. Bad for privacy.
Kudos to the police for bringing this person to justice all these years later.
And then again, maybe it was a warning to all the women who did the same thing, but within the statute of limitations.
BTW, this sort of thing is how my wife found her son she gave up for adoption back in 1971. It was through family members’ DNA.
Remember that old line when you ask a single guy how many kids he has and he responds, “None that I know of.”? Well, that isn’t going to work any more. Even if the child is retirement age.
Very bad for privacy HOWEVER if people want privacy they need to stop doing these home DNA kits and sending them in to God only knows who!!!
“OTOH, this shows that there is a large enough DNA database to find just about anyone, even if they don’t have a record.
Good for law enforcement. Bad for privacy.”
Agree, and kind of scary. They were able to use the DNA of the kid (I assume) to identify the mother. Didn’t realize they had that capability.
Not being brought to justice. The statute of limitations on manslaughter is 20 years.
She is being publicly outed, but that’s it.
Bringing her to justice? I don't think so. No charges. So why is leaving your newborn out to die on a freezing day considered manslaugher and not murder?
I think God has been meting out justice for the last 32 years.
“Ms. Roche indicated she’d been waiting 32 years for the day in which police would be knocking on her door regarding this incident,” the police chief said.
If it was a dad that had left the kid out to die, it would be called murder and no statute of limitations. He'd be sitting in a cell right now. But it was a mom so hey, no harm no foul. Just one of those things.
Very sad story. Tough job for a detective .
Doesn’t matter if YOU do the test or not.... as long as a cousin, even a second cousin does, etc. they can triangulate you and you’re on the grid. Enough people have done them that virtually every American can already be identified via the database.
Doesn’t matter if YOU do the test or not.... as long as a cousin, even a second cousin does, etc. they can triangulate you and you’re on the grid. Enough people have done them that virtually every American can already be identified via the database.
What are the odds that some lefty "judge" lets her go because "she was in a bad state of mind"???
I’m not a lawyer, but why would this be manslaughter? She deliberately left the baby there, knowing he would die. Would that not be considered murder? Again, I’m not a lawyer, just wondering.
Zero......
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