Utah lab to release results of 'Baby Doe' analysis

Utah lab to release results of 'Baby Doe' analysis

(Massachusetts State Police)


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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah lab could provide a crucial break in the case of "Baby Doe," the 3-year-old girl whose body was found near Boston in June.

Massachusetts police have worked tirelessly to identify the child — whose body was found in a trash bag on a rocky beach — but have yet to find out who she is and what happened to her.

So they've turned to IsoForensics Laboratory in Salt Lake City, according to Fox News. The lab is expected to release results from analysis of tooth and hair samples from the girl as early as Tuesday, and police hope they can use the information to learn more about where the girl was from and where she'd been before her death.

"It's not ZIP code-specific, but we can tell what regions she was in," IsoForensics president Lesley Chesson told Fox. "Food and water from different regions have different isotopes, and the hair and teeth keep a permanent record of that. You can tell the difference between Texas and Utah, for instance."

IsoForensics has been working on the case for the past several weeks. The lab has an impressive track record, cracking the case of "Saltair Sally" — a woman whose remains had been discovered in 2000 by the Great Salt Lake and whose identity stayed a mystery for 12 years until the lab was finally able to identify her using DNA techniques.


It's not ZIP code-specific, but we can tell what regions she was in. Food and water from different regions have different isotopes, and the hair and teeth keep a permanent record of that.

–Leslie Chesson, IsoForensics Lab


The Baby Doe case has captured the nation's attention. A computer-generated image of the little girl — created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children — has been seen or shared by more than 50 million people on social media. Police believe the girl was left at the beach and that she didn't wash up there, according to Fox.

The girl was wearing polka-dot leggings and was wrapped in a zebra-print blanket when she was found. She had pierced ears and very long hair, according to authorities.

Even after two months, investigators are hopeful the person or people who left the girl on the beach will come forward.

"The body had no obvious signs of violent trauma, so we're looking at the possibility of a poisoning. It could have been accidental, for example. I don't know the answer to that," Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley told CNN back in July. "But that's why we appeal to the caregivers, the parents. Please step forward. Clear your conscience. No child, no person, deserves to be discarded like this."

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