After 42 years, the investigation into the death of an infant in Vermont has been resolved, state police said Wednesday, and no criminal charges will be filed.
On April 1, 1982, children waiting for a school bus on Mill Hill Road in Northfield found a dead baby near the road, police said.
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Investigators said they were able to confirm that the dead body was that of a "recently born male infant."
Since police were unable to identify the infant, the name Baby Doe was used for investigative identity purposes, authorities said.
An autopsy was conducted and determined that the baby was full-term and that he had signs of existing medical conditions, according to police. However, the cause and matter of death were undetermined.
In late April of that year, the infant was named Matthew Isaac by Rev. Frank E. Wisner III of St. Mary's Church. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, authorities said.
Although the manner of death was never classified as a homicide, investigators said they've always treated this case as a homicide until that classification could be ruled out.
In 2020, state police partnered with Virginia-based DNA technology company Parabon NanoLabs and a year later, they were able to obtain DNA samples of a woman from swabs of the infant and items he had been found bundled in, police said.
The evidence, police said, provided them with a lead on the possible names of Matthew Isaac's biological mother and father, who had connections to the Northfield area in 1982.
With the help of Maine State Police, Vermont State Police were able to get in touch with the parents and get DNA from them, which confirmed they were the infant's biological parents, according to authorities.
Matthew Isaac's biological father left Vermont in 1982 and had no knowledge of the pregnancy or the deceased infant disposal, police said.
The biological mother, according to authorities, told investigators she gave birth alone for several hours and lost conscious. When she woke up, she found she delivered a baby boy, but his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, and he didn't survive.
"She wanted to give the baby a proper burial and planned to find a spot in the woods to bury him," police said in a release. "While walking into the woods, she thought she heard voices and became scared. She turned to go and slipped. The baby fell from her arms, and she ran. She did not return to the area."
Investigators met with Washington County state's attorney to review the facts and autopsy information and determined that murder charges weren't warranted, authorities said.
"The charge relating to the unauthorized disposal of a dead body has been determined to be beyond the statute of limitations, and therefore there are no applicable criminal charges to be filed with this death investigation," police said.
The names of Matthew Isaac's parents weren't released because no criminal charges were filed, according to police.
"With these findings, the investigation into the death of Matthew Isaac Doe is now classified as resolved," authorities said.
