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1997 Michigan UP infant murder cold case of 'Baby Garnet' solved

By David Komer online producer
Published  July 13, 2022 7:11pm EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

FOX 2 - A 58-year-old state of Wyoming resident was arrested for the murder of her baby in Michigan's Mackinac County back in 1997.

Using DNA and genealogy, the birth mother was found and taken into custody on Tuesday, the Mackinac County Sheriff's Office announced today.

The infant's remains were discovered in a vault toilet at the Garnet Lake Campground in Hudson Township of Mackinac County. The baby was eventually named Baby Garnet by local officials and despite a long investigation, the case eventually went cold.

In the summer of 2017 Mackinac Island County Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police investigators reviewed the case and used forensic genetic genealogy. That led to looking into the DNA submissions and were able to provide investigators with family bloodlines for review.

The genealogist was able to provide the name of the birth mother of Baby Garnet to investigators.

The woman is awaiting extradition back to Michigan on the charge of homicide-open murder.