South Carolina Authorities Secure Arrest in Cold Case Involving Death of Infant Discovered in Landfill Over Four Decades Ago

A South Carolina woman was arrested for the 1979 death of an infant found in a landfill. Learn how DNA and genealogy solved this 47 year old cold case.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 3, 2026, 10:02 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Dallas Express

Technological Breakthrough in Decades Old Investigation

The law enforcement community in South Carolina has announced a major development in a cold case that has remained unsolved since the late 1970s. On Tuesday, officials confirmed the arrest of a 73 year old woman in relation to the death of an infant whose remains were discovered at a landfill in 1979. For forty seven years, the identity of the child and the circumstances surrounding its death remained a mystery, despite numerous attempts by investigators to follow existing leads. The resolution of this case marks a significant achievement for local detectives who refused to let the file remain inactive, utilizing modern scientific methods to bridge the gap left by older investigative techniques.

The Role of Forensic Genealogy in Identifying the Suspect

The primary catalyst for the arrest was the application of forensic genetic genealogy, a process that involves comparing DNA samples from a crime scene with publicly available genealogical databases. In recent years, this technology has become a vital tool for cold case units across the country, allowing them to build family trees that eventually lead to specific individuals. In this case, the DNA recovered from the original evidence was used to identify distant relatives of the infant, eventually narrowing the focus to the 73 year old woman living in the region. This technical synergy between historical evidence and contemporary science allowed the department to establish a definitive biological link that was previously impossible.

Initial Discovery and Historical Context of the Case

The original incident dates back to a time when landfill workers discovered the body of a newborn wrapped in a plastic bag among the refuse. At the time, the discovery sparked a brief but intensive investigation, but with no witnesses and limited forensic capabilities, the case eventually went cold. The infant, who was never formally named, was buried by the community, and the file was moved to the cold case archives. Investigators noted that the lack of digital records and the passage of time made the initial search for the mother exceptionally difficult, as many individuals associated with the landfill or the surrounding area had moved or passed away in the intervening years.