MACKINAC COUNTY, MI— Police have identified and arrested the mother of an infant found dead in a Mackinac County vault toilet in 1997.
Sheriff’s deputies and Michigan State Police troopers discovered the remains at Garnet Lake Campground in Hudson Township. The infant was nicknamed “Baby Garnet” by local officials. An investigation was conducted, but the case went cold.
In the summer of 2017, officers began reviewing the case and employed Forensic Genetic Genealogy as a tool. The genealogist identified bloodlines and was able to provide the name of the birth mother—a 58-year-old former resident of the Garnet area who now lives in Wyoming.
On Tuesday, police contacted the suspect, who confirmed she was the birth mother. She stated other facts that provided probable cause to arrest her for homicide-open murder.
The woman awaits extradition back to Michigan.
No other details are available at this time.
