Justice Decades Later: North Carolina Woman Charged in 1979 Cold Case Involving Newborn Found in Landfill

Authorities arrest 69 year old Cathy McKee for the 1979 death of a newborn found in a Columbus County landfill after a DNA breakthrough.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 27, 2026, 10:20 AM EST

Source: Information for this report was sourced from WBTV and local news reports.

The 1979 Discovery and Investigative Challenges

The case originated in January 1979 when the remains of a newborn baby girl were found inside a plastic trash bag at a landfill in Whiteville North Carolina. At the time of the discovery local investigators were unable to determine the identity of the child or the circumstances surrounding her abandonment. Despite an extensive initial investigation the trail went cold and the infant was buried without a name becoming a long standing mystery for the Columbus County community. For forty seven years the case remained open but dormant as traditional investigative methods failed to yield a suspect.

The recent breakthrough was spearheaded by a joint effort between the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Detectives utilized preserved evidence from the original 1979 crime scene to apply modern forensic techniques that were unavailable at the time of the incident. This persistent pursuit of justice allowed authorities to revisit the evidence with a fresh perspective eventually leading to the identification of Cathy McKee who was approximately 22 years old when the infant was found.

Forensic Genealogy and the Path to Identification

The identification of Cathy McKee was achieved through the use of forensic grade genome sequencing and genetic genealogy. Scientists were able to build a comprehensive DNA profile from histopathology blocks that had been preserved for nearly fifty years. This profile was then uploaded to genealogical databases where forensic specialists identified family lines and narrowed down potential relatives. This process provided law enforcement with specific investigative leads that pointed directly to McKee as the biological mother of the unidentified newborn.

Following the DNA match investigators conducted interviews and gathered additional evidence to confirm the relationship. McKee was officially charged with felony concealing the birth of a child. North Carolina officials noted that this successful identification marks the 17th time the state has used these advanced identity inference techniques to resolve a cold case involving unidentified remains. The use of such technology is becoming a standard pillar of the 2026 judicial landscape providing a powerful tool for solving crimes that occurred long before the advent of modern DNA testing.