“Baby Hope” was found dead in a cooler in Washington Heights in 1991. A highway worker smelled something rotting from the cooler near Henry Hudson Parkway. When he opened it, the baby rolled out, along with some cans of Coke. Authorities were unable to identify her mother, but a break has come in the case, the New York Times reported Monday.
Police received a tip from a woman who knows the baby’s sister. Following the woman’s tips, the police questioned several people and did forensic tests to confirm the identity of the baby’s mother. The mother’s name has not yet been released.
On July 23, the 22nd anniversary of the discovery of the body, cold-case detectives canvassed the Manhattan neighborhood near where the blue cooler was tossed, plastered notices on signposts and announced a $12,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in the unsolved crime.
“My main goal is to ID this girl,” said Det. Robert Dewhurst of the Cold Case Apprehension Squad at the time. “Somebody’s gotta know this kid. This girl had somewhat of a life with people who should know who she is … friends, family, somebody.”
The efforts were fruitful.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
