VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota KFGO) – On April 15, 1981, Valley City police responded to a call of a deceased newborn female left in the underbrush near the Valley City State University campus. Investigators later revealed the newborn child died from asphyxia after a live birth.
In July 2019, the Barnes County State’s Attorney issued an order to exhume the body of Baby Rebecca and then sent the body to a lab in Texas for DNA testing.
Valley City Police Chief Phil Hatcher researched a case in South Dakota which was solved through DNA information and that process led to a lead for Valley City investigators. He says progress has been made recently that may give investigators clues on the parents or at least the mother.
He says one lab gave investigators direction on parental lineage, but it will take more investigation. Labs in both Texas and Virginia have analyzed the remains.
Baby Rebecca as she was referred to in Valley City was returned to her grave in a small ceremony in August of 2020.
