Summary
In August 1980, a bulldozer operator working at the West Side Landfill in Larksville, PA came across what he believed to be a doll. After closer inspection he realized it was a newborn boy. Investigators believe the baby boy was born alive and had no trauma to his body and no congenital abnormalities. He was estimated to have weighed 5.8 pounds. The unknown newborn was originally believed to have been alive 1 to 2 hours after birth but after a review of the original report, it is now believed that he might have lived for 1 to 3 days after birth.
The Coroner ruled his death to be due to acts of omissions. In 2016 the newborn was exhumed in an effort to obtain DNA evidence to assist with his identification. An artist rendering of the newborn was also commissioned in hopes someone might recognize who the baby is. Unfortunately, to date, the facial reconstruction has not led to an identification and all other leads have been exhausted.
Michael Vogen
Director of Case Management
Michael works with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada on “unsolvable“ cases that can benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. He helps these agencies use cutting edge DNA sequencing and new forensic techniques to develop investigative leads for their cases.