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Post by HeadMarshal on Jul 14, 2014 9:27:08 GMT -5
   (Above photo credits: doenetwork.org) Authorities in Cumberland County, North Carolina are trying to identify the remains of a murdered baby and the couple shown in the sketches above. AMW aired this case on May 22, 1999, shortly after the crime happened. On Mar 3, 1999, two brothers discovered a large plastic trash bag on a rural road, five miles from Interstate 95. Inside was the body of a full-term, healthy newborn boy, along with the placenta. The boy had been murdered by blunt force trauma to his head, chest, abdomen and pelvic area. The mother left behind DNA and brown pubic hair that would have come from either a Caucasian or Lumbee Indian female. The bag had been either thrown or unintentionally fell from a moving vehicle. The day before the body was discovered, a witness recalled seeing a man and a pregnant woman acting very distraught at a nearby clinic. Deputies say the woman became anxious when she was told she had to get a specific maternity test done. That midnight, another witness saw a man and a pregnant woman inside a car near where the body would eventually be discovered, the couple told the witness that they were fine. The couple has never been identified. Law Enforcement would later name the boy, "Baby Michael". Thoughts? The man was described as being between 25-30 years of age and the woman was in her mid 20's. Both also had brown hair. My personal opinion is that something happened right before the baby was born that caused the couple to no longer want the child, even though he was healthy. However, as is the case in numerous other newborn child homicides, murdering the child is obviously the wrong decision to make (just drop the baby at say a fire department). Admin Note #1: According to the Doe Network, anyone with any information on this case should call Fayetteville/Cumberland Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-formwww.doenetwork.org/cases/387umnc.html |
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Post by Scumhunter on Jul 14, 2014 15:52:11 GMT -5
Obviously if we can identify the parents we can identify the baby. And that is where it gets tricky since based on their possible Native American background they may have been living somewhat off the grid.
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Post by HeadMarshal on Jul 14, 2014 16:10:07 GMT -5
Actually, according to the below wiki page, the Lumbee Indian tribe for the most part live in Southeastern North Carolina. Also, Cumberland County is one of the counties which has a sizeable population. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumbee |
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Post by Scumhunter on Jul 14, 2014 16:16:52 GMT -5
Well you sure showed me and my ignorance to the people who were originally on this land.  This has me more hopeful now. |
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Post by pakman on Jul 14, 2014 19:44:34 GMT -5
I'm honestly surprised AMW never featured this case more often. To me, the case deserved at least one or two more airings. It would certainly appear to be more solvable than other "baby doe" cases AMW has featured (Key West Baby Doe comes to mind).
Law enforcement appear to be withholding the type of test the mother needed to get done on purpose so as to try and narrow down who the killer(s) could possibly be. The other possibility is that the unnamed test may provide a motive for the crime. I'm wondering if Mom or Dad was worried the baby would have some type of birth defect so they killed the child because of that. Then again, I'm not an expert on birth or neonatal care, so I don't know what types of tests can be done with the woman is still with child.
Though this case was only profiled once, AMW actually had it listed on their website under the "Local Stories" section. However, if you go looking for that page, I should warn you of one thing: AMW put actual photos of Baby Michael on the page. I didn't know they would be on there and it took me by surprise. Later on they added a "Warning! Graphic photos" tag to the page.
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Post by pakman on Feb 21, 2020 9:29:07 GMT -5
The Baby Michael case has been solved!
Forensic genealogy led to the identification of Deborah Riddle O'Connor, who they believe is the baby's mother. She allegedly admitted it and has been charged with first-degree murder.
Detectives submitted Baby Michael's DNA to Bode Technology, which specializes in forensic genealogy services, which gave investigators a family line.
This was one of the most troubling cases AMW ever profiled. They aired it once - in 1999, before I started watching the show - and I'm kind of baffled that they never aired it again. Nevertheless, another closed case in the books!
PS, wow that sketch was accurate! O'Connor looks like an aged version of the composite!
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Post by HeadMarshal on Feb 21, 2020 13:31:51 GMT -5
The Baby Michael case has been solved! Forensic genealogy led to the identification of Deborah Riddle O'Connor, who they believe is the baby's mother. She allegedly admitted it and has been charged with first-degree murder. Detectives submitted Baby Michael's DNA to Bode Technology, which specializes in forensic genealogy services, which gave investigators a family line.
This was one of the most troubling cases AMW ever profiled. They aired it once - in 1999, before I started watching the show - and I'm kind of baffled that they never aired it again. Nevertheless, another closed case in the books! PS, wow that sketch was accurate! O'Connor looks like an aged version of the composite!
Thanks for the update pakman and glad to FINALLY see an arrest in this horrible case! I'm assuming from the article that the father is not currently being sought as a suspect in this homicide. Especially since Deborah reportedly admitted to the crime. |
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Post by ninja108 on Feb 21, 2020 23:52:45 GMT -5
Glad to see justice will be done in this case!
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Post by Scumhunter on Jan 16, 2022 2:51:35 GMT -5
Last year, O'Conner plead guilty and received a 12 year prison sentence.
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This has me more hopeful now.