ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Rowan County deputies announced they have reopened the investigation of the cold case homicide of a newborn baby who was found in 1971.
The Rowan County Sheriff's Office was called to Dunns Mountain Road, near White Rock Avenue, on March 20, 1971, after a newborn was found dead. An autopsy revealed that the child was killed prior to being left there. Sheriff John Stirewalt described the incident as being "one of the most troublesome" cases he'd faced in Rowan County.
No arrests have been made in the case, according to investigators.
Deputies with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office recently discovered an old case file detailing the murder of a newborn baby in March of 1971. It was even more difficult for investigators to learn that the victim was never even identified.
The child's body was cremated by the state one year after being found, a common practice for unidentified bodies during that time. According to the sheriff's office, there is still some evidence that can be sent to a lab for DNA testing in an attempt to identify the baby's family.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Lt. Ryan Barkley at 704-216-8711.
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