Unidentified Dead Baby called "Baby Angel" - 2 months (or less) - (2010) Albuquerque NM

Albuquerque NM ---- The Bernalillo County sheriff called the discovery
of a dead child "disturbing."The sheriff's department said it
found a dead baby near Highway 14 at about 12:30 p.m.A property
owner and his wife were walking around when they saw what they described
as a baby blanket. There was a box underneath the blanket and when they
looked inside they found the dead baby, police said.So far, the
sheriff thinks they baby was an infant up to two
months old. He did not reveal the baby's gender.The property
owner said he saw the blanket there since January when he bought the
property, but because of the snow, he just walked the land to see what
it was.The sheriff's department said it is trying to find
anything that will lead them to the baby's parents."Our
detectives are going through. They have a pretty large crime scene. It's
a pretty large property. They want to comb the area for any additional
evidence," said Deputy Lawrence Koran, with the Bernalillo County
Sheriff's Department."This is a very sad, upsetting event. It's
unfortunate that this took place," said Sheriff Manuel Gonzales.Gonzales
said at this point they do not know if there are any missing infants.
He said the first thing is to try to identify the baby. Detectives are
also trying to determine how the child ended up at the location.The
sheriff wants to remind everyone about the Safe Haven Law --- babies up
to 90 days old can be dropped off at any hospital, police station or
fire station without facing any criminal charges.

Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deputies are investigating the death of
an infant, whose remains were found in a vacant field off of Highway 14,
between I-40 and Sandia Crest Rd. Sunday afternoon. Deputy
Lawrence Koren said someone put the infant in a box and left it on the
lot. Koren said the box was just big enough for the baby. Detectives
don’t know the exact age of the infant but say the child was very
young. “We're told anywhere from newborn to 2 months old and
that's an estimate,” Koren said. Deputies said the body could
have been in the woods since January. The lot was recently sold. The new
owner made the gruesome discovery. Investigators said the owner was
clearing trash left on the property when he saw the box. When he looked
inside he found the infant’s remains. Detectives said they don’t
want to jeopardize the investigation so they will not say if anything
else was left with the child. “We don't want to--have someone
clam up on us or take off out of town before helping us out,” Koren
said. However, Koren said whoever left the child went to great
lengths to get rid of it. Neighbors who’ve walked through that lot
agreed. “I've hiked back there but I don't know if there is any
access by vehicle,” Daniel Gardiner said. Koren said there is
only one dirt path for vehicles on that lot. The baby was left about 30
yards north of the highway and a good hike away from the dirt path. The
Office of the Medical Investigator is now looking for clues about the
baby’s identity. Until they get closer to identifying the infant
detectives will not release the gender of the baby. Detectives
said the biggest questions in the case are who are the parents and where
are they. Detectives said they may have to rely on someone, who
knew the baby was alive and then noticed the infant was missing.

New leads are developing as Bernalillo County sheriff deputies
continue to investigate a dead infant found in a box in the east
mountains. On Sunday at 12:30 p.m., a landowner was surveying his
recently-purchased property. He found the baby in a box and called 911
immediately. Deputies said the baby is, at most, two months old, and
they believe it has been in the vacant lot since January or even
earlier.

Investigators now believe that the box was placed on a
vacant lot just off of Highway 14 north of Cedar Crest by its mother or
another relative. "We believe that the child was very carefully
placed," said Captain Gregg Marcantel with the Bernalillo County
Sheriff's Office. "We look at the crime scene and the condition of the
crime scene and we see what we believe to be a pretty emotional
attachment and bond between whoever placed the child there, and the
child itself." Officials believe the person who placed the box
may have returned several times to visit the dead child, which led the
investigators to question neighbors.

"We'd want to know if
anyone in the neighborhood has seen someone parking a car and maybe
walking up to that location," said Marcantel. Investigators are
not calling this a homicide; only a serious death. They believe the
mother or relative that dumped the body did not intend to mistreat the
dead child.

“A lot of times, especially in this economic time,
pregnancies are very difficult things to navigate through," Marcantel
said. “This is the opportunity to come forward because you are dealing
with a law enforcement and a criminal justice system that can understand
those circumstances." Marcantel is urging the person who did
this, or a family member close to the situation to call the lead
detective at (505) 980-2496. Anyone else with information is urged to
call Crime Stoppers at (505) 843-7867.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-28-baby-remains-new-mexico_N.htm

Baby found in box gets proper burial
The baby was found last year near Cedar Crest

Updated: Thursday, 10 Mar 2011, 8:26 AM MST
Published : Wednesday, 09 Mar 2011, 10:17 PM MST

Reporter: Amanda Goodman
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - A year after a baby was found buried in a cardboard box, detectives have closed the case, but they have not solved it.

Baby Angel as she’s called has not been forgotten though. On Wednesday she was given a proper burial thanks to members of the Metropolitan Community Church of Albuquerque and their ‘Littlest Angels’ program.

More, including video:
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/baby-found-in-box-gets-proper-burial