On a winter ’s day in February 1981 , a newborn baby male child was found abandoned in a ditch in Sioux Falls , South Dakota . He died alone , twine in a ancestry - maculate blanket , as a effect of photo to the freezing weather . The son was never reported miss , the investigating ’s leads dried up , and the case went cold .
Now , thanks to new genealogy database and consumer deoxyribonucleic acid tests , this tragic slip is reaching a close . The boy ’s alleged mother , a 57 - yr - old named Theresa Rose Bentaas , was arrested on the morning of Friday , March 8 and faces charges of first - degree murder , 2d - arcdegree murder , and first - degree manslaughter .
speak ata intelligence conferenceon Friday , the Sioux Falls Police Department explained how the fresh development came into place . The organic structure of the boy , known as Andrew John Doe , was exhume from the cemetery in September 2009 and scientist from the University of North Texas managed to find his deoxyribonucleic acid . Detectives tried to match this to DNA regain in their criminal databases , but to no help . The baby ’s remains were reburied in June 2010 .
class later , the baby ’s DNA was give to Parabon NanoLabs , a private company with an incredible track record of solving cold example using capable - source genetical information obtained through family tree web site .
“ They were able to fix some family tree diagram for us , ” Detective Michael Webb told reporters at the pressure conference .
“ Of interest group , a lot of these family unit Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree came back to Sioux Falls . ”
give the nature of the crime , detectives speculate it was most probably carry out by a young person . Using the genetic data , combined with old wedding and birth records , they were led to a number of family Tree containing people who were 18 or 19 at the clock time of the law-breaking . Further investigative study and genetical evidence designate to the personal identity of the at rest baby ’s parent , still living in Sioux Falls .
The police bestow both of the parents in for interviewing , leave in the mother being charged with murder . The Father of the Church was not bill as he was unaware of the boy ’s birth and death .
“ I be intimate this sound cliche , but we do n’t leave office on these [ cases ] and you work pretty hard when it ’ a child case , ” tally Detective Webb . “ You go through a sight of frustrations and you get bump down a lot , but you get back up and you do n’t depart , that ’s what we do . ”
“ It call for sheer determination and stubbornness , geminate with science and DNA genealogy that puzzle out this . ”
As antecedently name , this is not the first metre genealogy internet site and novel DNA technology have been used to crack a gamey - profile cold case . Just last year , policeused similar methodsto arrestJoseph James DeAngelo , alleged to be the “ Golden State Killer ” who was creditworthy for 12 murders and 51 rapes in the seventies and fourscore .
