DNA evidence from a soda bottle has allegedly connected a Massachusetts woman to the 1985 death of her newborn son, who was discovered deceased in the woods by a hunter and his child, authorities disclosed this week.

Dianne Curry Peck, aged 59, appeared in court, pleading not guilty to a charge of murder related to the incident. The newborn, subsequently referred to as “Baby Boy Doe” of Mansfield, Massachusetts, had been the subject of an enduring investigation.

Heartbreaking Case

FBI Boston Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks expressed profound sadness over the case. “Few cases are more heartbreaking than one involving a newborn baby, allegedly abandoned and left to die in the woods by his mother,” Docks stated outside the courthouse. For over four decades, the baby was known solely as Baby Boy Doe, a child who was born with limitless potential but denied the fundamental right to life.

It was naked, lying on its back; the umbilical cord was still attached to the baby, said Kenneth Martin, a former Massachusetts State Police trooper, who recounted the discovery.

Case Details

The newborn’s body was found on January 26, 1985, by a father and son who noticed footprints in the snow. Initially thought to be a doll, the reality of finding a naked infant stunned them, as reported by WCVB.

An autopsy confirmed that the child was born alive but died shortly thereafter. The Mansfield Police Department, with help from Steve Grogan, a former New England Patriots quarterback, funded the child’s burial, according to Boston 25 News.

Reopened Investigation

Bristol County investigators revisited the case in 2022, collaborating with the FBI and state authorities. Forensic genetic genealogy played a crucial role, analyzing the baby’s DNA.

Authorities connected Peck to the case through DNA obtained from a soda bottle retrieved from her garbage.

Back in 1985, Peck was a 17-year-old student at Mansfield High School. She admitted to investigators that she had given birth in the back seat of her ex-boyfriend’s car, according to Boston 25 reports.

She claimed to have handed the baby to her ex-boyfriend, believing he would arrange for adoption. Peck thought she had given birth to a girl and had no further communication with the ex-boyfriend, who passed away in 2020, the FBI stated.

Prosecutors’ Arguments

Prosecutors argued inconsistencies in Peck’s timeline regarding the birth and the condition of the baby’s body. There was no evidence that anyone, including Peck’s ex-boyfriend, knew of her pregnancy, the news outlet reported. Peck allegedly told authorities she gave birth on January 20, 1985. However, prosecutors indicated this timeline did not align with the infant’s condition.

According to a medical examiner, the child likely lay in the woods for about 12 hours before being found. Fox News Digital is awaiting responses from the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and Peck’s attorney.