Summary
In October 2014, the remains of a full-term infant were discovered in the L-20 Canal near Fort Pierce, Florida. A fisherman discovered a blue canvas backpack floating in the canal. In addition to the infant's remains, investigators found a bed sheet, gum wrapper, a towel, baby wipes, and underwear described as being oversized for the infant's remains. The University of Florida C.A. Pound Human Identification Lab determined that the remains were that of a full-term child.
Initially, no identifying characteristics, including the infant’s sex and likely ancestry, could be determined. Later, DNA testing determined that the child was female. Unfortunately, no other characteristics or clues could be derived from the remains. However, with few leads to go on, the identity of the child is unknown. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP13173.
In 2024, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit and the District 19 Medical Examiner’s Office teamed with Othram to leverage advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy to develop investigative leads in hopes of identifying the infant. Anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office at 772-462-3386 and reference case number 14-12041.
Law enforcement has contributed a portion of the cost associated with this case. A DNASolves crowdfund has been created to raise funds for the remaining casework costs. Anyone can contribute here. We are grateful for your support.
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.