DNA from a soda bottle has linked a Massachusetts woman to the 1985 death of her newborn son, who was found dead in the woods by a father and son hunting rabbits, authorities said this week.
Case Details
Dianne Curry Peck, 59, appeared in court on Tuesday, where she pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in connection with the death of her son, who became known as ‘Baby Boy Doe’ of Mansfield, Massachusetts.
The newborn’s body was discovered on Jan. 26, 1985, by a father and son who noticed a set of footprints in the snow. The pair initially thought the child was a doll before realizing it was a naked infant lying on the ground.
An autopsy determined the child was born alive before dying a short time later. The Mansfield Police Department, along with former New England Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan, paid for the baby’s funeral.
The case went cold until Bristol County investigators reopened it in 2022, partnering with the FBI and state authorities. Using forensic genetic genealogy, investigators analyzed the baby’s DNA, which eventually led them to Peck.
DNA recovered from a soda bottle taken from her trash ultimately linked her to the child, authorities said. At the time of the birth, Peck was a 17-year-old student at Mansfield High School.
She allegedly admitted to investigators that she had given birth to a child in the back seat of her ex-boyfriend’s car, but claimed she gave the baby to him because he said he knew someone who would adopt the infant. Peck told investigators she believed she had given birth to a girl and never spoke to her ex-boyfriend again.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
