Summary
On May 4, 2005, the Spring semester was ending at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. As students were moving out of their residence halls, the dumpsters began to fill with discarded items. On that day, individuals were rummaging through a dumpster located at Sam Houston Village, an on-campus residence located at 1600 Sam Houston Avenue. One of the individuals made a gruesome discovery when they pulled out a trash bag and found it contained the body of a deceased black female infant with the umbilical cord and placenta still attached. The infant’s cause of death was ruled inconclusive based on autopsy results. There were no signs of physical trauma or illness.
Since the discovery of the infant girl, the SHSU University Police Department (UPD) and the Texas Rangers have investigated many leads associated with this case. As years passed, new information regarding the case has dwindled. However, this cold case has remained a priority for the University Police Department officers and they are still investigating.
Advanced DNA testing might be the only way to generate more in the case. The SHSU University Police Department and the Texas Rangers have partnered with Othram Inc. and Identifinders International to generate leads that will help identify the infant. A DNASolves fund has been established to cover the costs associated with this process. If anyone has information regarding this case and would like to assist the investigation, please contact the SHSU University Police Department at 936-294-1800 and ask to speak with Detective Brown.
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.