Author Topic: ANGEL BABY HOPE: WF, Newborn, found in a Franklin, Indiana trashcan - 13 April 1994  (Read 1343 times)

Akoya

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Two boys searching for aluminum cans discovered the body of a newborn baby girl. She had been stabbed to death and placed into a trash can in Temple Park. Citizens in the community donated funds so that the infant dubbed "Baby Hope" could have a proper burial and a headstone. On April 22, 1994, more than 150 people attended her funeral. DNA was preserved in hopes that one day Baby Hope's mother could be identified.

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Akoya

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https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/13481?nav



Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP13481Female, White / Caucasian
Date Body Found
April 13, 1994
Location Found
Franklin, Indiana
Estimated Age Range
0 Years

Case Information
Case Numbers

NCMEC Number
--
ME/C Case Number
unknown

Demographics
Sex
Female
Race / Ethnicity
White / Caucasian

Estimated Age Group
Infant
Estimated Age Range (Years)
--
Estimated Year of Death
--
Estimated PMI
1 Days
Height
Cannot Estimate
Weight
Cannot Estimate

Circumstances
Type
Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found
April 13, 1994
NamUs Case Created
January 31, 2015
ME/C QA Reviewed
--
Location Found Map
Location
Franklin, Indiana
County
Johnson County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)
--
Circumstances of Recovery
Two boys searching for aluminum cans discovered the body of a newborn baby girl. She had been stabbed to death and placed into a trash can in Temple Park.

Citizens in the community donated funds so that the infant dubbed "Baby Hope" could have a proper burial and a headstone. On April 22, 1994, more than 150 people attended her funeral.

DNA was preserved in hopes that one day Baby Hope's mother could be identified.
Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains
All parts recovered
Condition of Remains
Not recognizable - Traumatic injuries

Physical Description
Hair Color
Unknown
Head Hair Description
--
Body Hair Description
--
Facial Hair Description
--
Left Eye Color
Unknown
Right Eye Color
Unknown

Investigating Agencies
CASE OWNER

Johnson County Coroner's Office
(317) 534-8344

Agency Case Number
--
Craig Lutz, Coroner
--
Franklin Police Department
(317) 736-3670

Agency Case Number
--
No Investigator Entered

Akoya

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http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1206ufin.html

1206UFIN - Unidentified Female



Baby Hope's headstone (mouse over image to enlarge)

Date of Discovery: April 13, 1994
Location of Discovery: Franklin, Johnson County, Indiana
Date of Death: Same day
State of Remains: Unknown
Cause of Death: Homicide by stabbing

Physical Description
Estimated Age: Newborn
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers
Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery
Two boys searching for aluminum cans discovered the body of a newborn baby girl. She had been stabbed to death and placed into a trash can in Temple Park.

Citizens in the community donated funds so that the infant dubbed "Baby Hope" could have a proper burial and a headstone. On April 22, 1994, more than 150 people attended her funeral.

DNA was preserved in hopes that one day Baby Hope's mother could be identified.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Franklin Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Sgt. John Borges
Agency Phone Number: 317-346-1100
Agency Case Number: Unknown

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 13481
Information Source(s)
NamUs
Find A Grave
Daily Journal News Archive

Admin Notes
Added: 1/5/2015; Last Updated: 6/10/2018

Akoya

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https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/17-Years-Later-Johnson-Co-Investigators-Still-Working-to-Name-Angel-Baby-Doe-500884551.html

17 Years Later, Johnson Co. Investigators Still Working to Name 'Angel Baby Doe'

By Alice Barr
Published Nov 19, 2018 at 9:43 PM

Seventeen years ago, someone left a newborn baby on the side of the road outside Cleburne. A stranger found her body and the Johnson County Sheriff's Office has never stopped working to find out who she is and who left her there. (Published Monday, Nov. 19, 2018)

Her gravestone stands in Rosehill Cemetery in Cleburne, marked only with the words ‘Angel Baby Doe.’ Different investigators have taken on the case over the years and now more than ever, they're determined to put a name on the grave marker and truly honor her memory. No one more so than the man who found her.

"I inherited another baby," Johnny Riddle said, looking down at the gravestone.

Riddle is the closest thing to family Angel Baby Doe has.

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https://www.burlesonstar.net/news-local-news-texas-news/sheriffs-office-still-seeking-information-angel-baby-doe

JCSO searches for answers in Angel Baby Doe case

By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com
Nov 23, 2018

Sunday would have been her 17th birthday and yet her identity remains unknown having died on the side of a road when she was just several hours old.

“We’re determined to continue pursuing the case,” retired Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Steve Shaw said. “That baby girl deserves a name at the very least.”

For now, a headstone marked Angel Baby Doe in Cleburne’s Rosehill Cemetery marks her final resting place.

On a 60 degree morning Nov. 18, 2001, JCSO deputies and detectives responded to the 400 block of South Briaroaks Road in Burleson where they found a newly born baby girl loosely wrapped in a Winnie the Pooh jacket.

A man walking to a nearby store who was picking cans up along the way spotted the baby and called police, Shaw said.

JCSO officers at that time determined that the baby was probably born outside of a hospital and abandoned by the side of the road.

Unfortunately, the baby succumbed to the elements.

Former Sheriff Bob Alford named the girl Angel Baby Doe.

Rosser Funeral Home donated a casket and the city of Cleburne’s Cemetery Department provided funding for the baby’s burial, according to a 2010 Times-Review article by former reporter Pete Kendall.

Alford, in 2010, said he considers the case a homicide.

Several tips and possible leads throughout the years since failed to pan out.

“A number of people came forward with information and several offered DNA samples but they all proved negative,” Shaw said. “But we continue to work possible leads.”

JCSO officials are hoping that a newly released post mortem artistic rendering will generate new leads.

The rendering came about after Shaw presented the case to the Sheriff’s Association Cold Case Team in Austin recently, a team consisting of law enforcement officials, attorneys, doctors and other officials.”

“After a case is presented people go around the room with suggestions and possible approaches,” Shaw said. “Someone suggested a progressive sketch of what the baby might look like today but Suzanne Birdwell, one of the artists in the group, said that wouldn’t work because the baby was too young and you’d need more to go on than that.

“The better approach she said, and what she helped us with was the post mortem rendering of the little girl, which we’ve distributed to the media and the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Unidentified Persons Clearinghouse website and other outlets in hopes that someone will have information on who this little girl is.”

JCSO Captain Danny Rogers said he and others remain determined to pursue the case.

“This case has been around 17 years without closure,” Rogers said. “Any death impacts the first responders involved, especially when that death is a child. We have been reaching out to a host of other investigators and specialists in an attempt to identify those who are involved. We only wish the baby knew how much we all really care.”

Shaw, who was returning from working a fire case that morning, still recalls that day and hearing the call go out over dispatch. When the deputy who responded requested investigators Shaw, who was several minutes away, drove to the scene and assisted with the crime scene.

Detectives, Shaw said, have to remain focused especially in light of tragic circumstances to ensure their best efforts toward discerning facts and solving the case.

“Still, situations like this can’t help but work on your mind some,” Shaw said. “Especially later after the fact and especially when you’re dealing with an unsolved case and looking for answers.”

JCSO Deputy Aaron Pitts encouraged anyone with information on Angel Baby Doe to come forward.

“For 17 years JCSO has been working to bring closure to her death and finally give this little girl a name,” Pitts said.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Kniffen at 817-556-6058 or Johnson County Crime Stoppers at 800-794-8477.

“The loss of a young life is the greatest tragedy we will ever know only made worse when the victim is denied justice,” Sheriff Adam King said. “Our deputies and the Cold Case Squad have never forgotten this child and they want know what happened and why. They are this child’s adoptive family and they want closure.”

Infant girl’s identity remains unknown

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https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8629760/baby-hope



Baby Hope
BIRTH 1994
DEATH 13 Apr 1994 (aged less–than 1 year)
Franklin, Johnson County, Indiana, USA
BURIAL
Greenlawn Cemetery
Franklin, Johnson County, Indiana, USA
MEMORIAL ID 8629760 · View Source

Newborn infant found dead in a trash can April 13 1994.The public donated funds so Hope could have a proper funeral and headstone. More than 150 residents attended the funeral on April 22, 1994. Baby Hope's DNA was preserved, meaning a genetic match could be made even years later if the mother is someday identified.

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https://www.burlesonstar.net/news-local-news-texas-news/sheriffs-office-still-seeking-information-angel-baby-doe



The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is seeking any informattion on a newborn baby that was found dead 17 years ago. BURLESON STAR/COURTESY PHOTO/JOHNSON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
SHERIFF’S OFFICE STILL SEEKING INFORMATION ON “ANGEL BABY DOE”
Wed, 11/21/2018 - 10:40am
NEETISH BASNET
neetish@burlesonstar.net
In a grave at Rosehill Cemetery in Cleburne lies a newborn girl, buried this week exactly 17 years ago. The tombstone reads “Angel Baby Doe” because no one knew her real name then, or even now.

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office, which first took on the case, is continuing the investigation to find the baby's name and know what had happened to the infant.

Angel Baby Doe was abandoned near the 400 block of Briaroaks road in Briaroaks on Nov.18, 2001. The sheriff's deputies found her in the cold weather loosely wrapped in a red Winnie the Pooh windbreaker.

With the umbilical cord still slightly attached, authorities suspected the baby was born outside of a hospital that same day. The baby succumbed to "exsanguination and environmental stress," according to a statement from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office.

"We have been reaching out to a host of other investigators and specialists in an attempt to identify those who are involved," said Capt. Danny Rogers, who is in charge of the cold case.

"We only wish the baby knew how much we all really cared," Rogers added.

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office has asked the public to help identify the baby or contact the office with any information relating to the case.

"This case has been around for 17 years without closure," Rogers said. "Any death impacts the first responders involved, especially when there's a death of a child."

The Children's Advocacy Center of Johnson County estimates that at least two infants are abandoned in life-threatening situations in Texas every month.

In Texas, under the Baby Moses Law, parents can responsibly leave their infant child for up to 60 days in the care of a hospital, fire station or an emergency medical service provider. The parents will not be punished with any penalties.

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The law attempts to provide a responsible alternative for parents, who might otherwise abandon their child in a harmful condition.

In Johnson County, there are several designated safe baby sites, including the fire departments and Texas Health Huguley Hospital, where parents can leave their babies in capable hands.

Anyone with information on Angel Baby Doe can contact Capt. Danny Rogers, or Det. Steve Shaw with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office at 817-556-6058 or Johnson County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-794-8477.

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