Summary

On September 7, 1997, city workers found the body of a newborn wrapped in a charred cloth near the Moses statue in Albany, New York's Washington Park. The baby, later called “Baby Moses” by investigators, weighed 9 pounds and 3 ounces. It was determined that Baby Moses was been born alive and healthy. There were no signs of injury or natural health conditions that could have caused his death. Despite extensive investigative efforts, no leads surfaced, and the case went cold.

In 2020, the Albany Police Department partnered with the Cold Case Analysis Center at the College of Saint Rose to take a fresh look at the case. As DNA technology had significantly advanced since 1997, forensic specialists extracted a usable DNA profile from preserved evidence. In 2022, Othram was retained to develop a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown infant. Once the profile was created, it was provided to the FBI’s forensic genetic genealogy team, which used it to conduct a forensic database search. The search ultimately led to the identification of a relative, and after further investigative work, police determined that Keri S. Mazzuca was the infant’s biological mother.

With this new lead, Albany police began conducting surveillance and collected discarded items from Mazzuca’s residence to obtain a confirmatory DNA sample. The results conclusively identified her as the child’s mother. On September 6, 2024, Mazzuca was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and concealment of a human corpse.

Following her arrest, authorities learned more about the events that took place 27 years earlier. Mazzuca admitted that she suffocated her newborn son shortly after birth and, in an effort to destroy evidence, attempted to burn the body before leaving him in Washington Park. The crime shocked the Albany community, and those who had worked the case over the years described it as one of the most haunting unsolved mysteries in the city’s history.

On February 13, 2025, Mazzuca pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence in Albany County Court. As part of the plea, she admitted to killing her newborn son and concealing his body. She now faces up to 25 years in state prison, with sentencing scheduled for April 18, 2025.

The identification of Baby Moses is the 11th publicly announced case in New York where investigators used technology developed by Othram to identify an individual. To learn about other cases in New York, visit DNASolves.