St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and Florida’s District 19 Medical Examiner’s Office Team with Othram to Identify 2014 Baby Doe

After nearly a decade, the remains of an infant found in the L-20 Canal near Fort Pierce, Florida have not been identified.
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Published February 09 by Michael Vogen
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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.

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Michael Vogen

Michael Vogen

Director of Case Management

2829 Technology Forest Blvd Suite 100, The Woodlands, Texas 77381
media@othram.com

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.

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About Othram Inc.

Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram’s scientists are experts at ... Read morerecovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies to achieve results when other approaches have failed. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how we can help you with your case. With dnasolves.com anyone can make a difference and help solve the next cold case.