30-years-ago there were no real clues in the death of an infant. When a baby was found dead in a trash bag thrown in a dumpster the police in Mississippi investigated. The baby was discovered behind Mr. Gatti’s Pizza at 704 Memorial Boulevard in the relatively small community of Picayune.
The discovery was made by a farmer. Police say he was taking the bags to feed old pizza dough to his pigs.
An autopsy performed at the time determined the baby was born three weeks premature. And probably only lived for less than a day before being smothered. The town was saddened by the death, but there were more questions than answers.
The case quickly went cold. And the evidence was carefully preserved and stored expertly for three decades.
Arrests made in the death of an infant
Picayune police Detective Rhonda Johnson re-opened the case in 2021. She discovered the case file while working on another cold case.
“I noticed a box that said baby doe on it. So, I asked my evidence technician Theresa Milar, who has been here forever, what that case was about. She explained to me, and I kind of remember hearing about that, and I said, ‘We’ll have to work on that one next,'” Johnson said.
