A woman has been arrested in connection with the cold case of a newborn baby known as “Baby Skyler” who was found dead in a dumpster at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport 20 years ago, police announced Tuesday. did.
According to Phoenix police, the infant was found dead in a trash can in the women’s restroom at the airport’s Terminal 4 on October 10, 2005. The baby was wrapped in newspaper and towels and stuffed into a plastic bag.
The child died of suffocation and the death was ruled a homicide.
“The evidence at the scene indicates that the birth likely took place at the airport, and the suspect or suspects abandoned the baby in a bathroom,” said Phoenix Police Lt. James Hester.
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A composite image of Annie Anderson, 51, who was charged in 2005 with killing an infant and dumping it in a trash can at a Phoenix airport. (Phoenix Police Department/Fox Phoenix)
The child’s mother, Annie Anderson, 51, was arrested last month in her home state of Washington and is pending extradition to Arizona. Hester said Anderson was in the Phoenix area attending a “real estate boot camp” at the time of her death.
Police said Anderson admitted to being the child’s mother. Authorities declined to clarify her statement.
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“We know who the father is, but based on the totality of the investigation, there is no reason to suspect that he is criminally responsible,” Hester said.
The investigation into the infant’s death languished and remained unsolved for years as authorities hoped technological advancements would help them find the culprit.
Exterior of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. (Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport)
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In 2017, a tool called “Snapshot” used the child’s DNA to create a composite sketch of the mother. Investigators then began using genetic genealogy, which led to the closure of the case, police said.
“Investigators cross-referenced potential matches with evidence initially collected at the scene and identified the person believed to be the mother of ‘Baby Skyler,'” authorities said.
