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#Post#: 6998--------------------------------------------------
BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch - 28
February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 9:46 am
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HTML https://i.imgur.com/Lr4Wm1t.jpg
A driver found the newborn baby boy in a ditch around 3:10 pm
about 3/4 mile south of 26th Street and Sycamore Drive. The baby
was covered with a bed sheet and wine-colored wool blanket.
The coroner indicated the baby had been born healthy and near
full-term. His umbilical cord was still attached.
A woman from the community named the newborn Andrew and offered
to pay for his funeral. Fifty people attended his service.
In January 2016, it was announced that Baby Andrew's remains had
been exhumed in hopes of gathering DNA to identify his parents.
#Post#: 6999--------------------------------------------------
Re: BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch -
28 February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 9:53 am
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HTML https://identifyus.org/en/cases/17189
NamUs UP # 17189
ME/C Case Number: 1981-5609
Minnehaha County, South Dakota
0 to year old White Male
Case Report - NamUs UP # 17189
Case Information
Status Unidentified
Case number 1981-5609
Date found February 28, 1981 15:00
Date created November 01, 2017 15:02
Date last modified November 02, 2017 12:39
Investigating agency
date QA reviewed
Local Contact (ME/C or Other)
Agency Minnehaha Cnty Coroners Ofc
Phone 605-333-1730
Case Manager
Name Michael Webb
Phone 605-978-6673
Demographics
Estimated age Infant
Minimum age 0 years
Maximum age years
Race White
Ethnicity
Sex Male
Weight (pounds) 6, Measured
Height (inches) 19, Measured
Body Parts Inventory (Check all that apply)
All parts recovered
Body conditions
Recognizable face
Probable year of death 1981 to
Estimated postmortem interval 1 Days
Circumstances
Location Found
GPS coordinates
Address 1 26th Street
Address 2 Sycamore Avenue
City Sioux Falls
State South Dakota
Zip code 57103
County Minnehaha
Circumstances
Infant white male found on top of blankets in a ditch on the
edge of the city on 2-28-1981. He had been there approximately 1
1/2 days and coroner advised the baby was born alive and died
due to exposure to the elements. Infant was found on top of a
maroon blanket and a white flowered sheet. Multiple leads
followed up at the time of investigation and parent(s) were not
located and case is unsolved.
Physical
Hair color Brown
Head hair
Sparse - newborn
Fingerprints
Status: Fingerprint information is currently not available
Other items found
with body
Maroon blanket
White bed sheet with maroon colored flowers
Red plaid shirt
Dental
Status: Dental information / charting is currently not available
DNA
Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete
#Post#: 7000--------------------------------------------------
Re: BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch -
28 February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 9:55 am
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Argus Leader
35 years ago, a baby was found dead in a ditch. Police hope DNA
testing can determine who his parents were
HTML https://i.imgur.com/HOMAyXX.jpg
HTML https://i.imgur.com/9etis6D.jpg
#Post#: 7001--------------------------------------------------
Re: BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch -
28 February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 9:57 am
---------------------------------------------------------
HTML http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1715umsd.html
1715UMSD - Unidentified Male
HTML https://i.imgur.com/Lr4Wm1t.jpg
Date of Discovery: February 28, 1981
Location of Discovery: Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, South
Dakota
Estimated Date of Death: 24 hours
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Most likely hypothermia and blood loss.
Physical Description
Estimated Age: Newborn
Race: Unknown
Gender: Male
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown
Identifiers
Dentals: Not available.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Pending
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Circumstances of Discovery
A driver found the newborn baby boy in a ditch around 3:10 pm
about 3/4 mile south of 26th Street and Sycamore Drive. The baby
was covered with a bed sheet and wine-colored wool blanket.
The coroner indicated the baby had been born healthy and near
full-term. His umbilical cord was still attached.
A woman from the community named the newborn Andrew and offered
to pay for his funeral. Fifty people attended his service.
In January 2016, it was announced that Baby Andrew's remains had
been exhumed in hopes of gathering DNA to identify his parents.
Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Sioux Falls Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Detective Mike Webb/Sergeant Tim Hagen
Agency Phone Number: 605-367-7234
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 1981-5609
NCIC Case Number: N/A
NamUs Case Number: Not listed
Information Source(s)
Sioux City Police Department
Argus Leader News
#Post#: 7002--------------------------------------------------
Re: BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch -
28 February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 9:59 am
---------------------------------------------------------
A driver found the newborn baby boy in a ditch around 3:10 pm
about 3/4 mile south of 26th Street and Sycamore Drive.
[img]
HTML https://www.google.com/maps/vt/data=l_fhPotHBr73yjb_9Rl5bsavaM-T-jpxEPDjE4pUPlog_R0xO9OM4T28L4tUzgHoNBN8Bca7-O2eGJNk5zAiB7QvTriv_t-5ii1LHf5A9kbbGVOL2yyMrq4ZAeJOCnOGDyYz5hpX4RUVJDYuhdz72CjOalsSYcnSG1bGJIIEDcQyDH_hCjt4JmhuBNN43da678NYjRKD6fVYDlcMwQ[/img]
E 26th St & S Sycamore Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57110
#Post#: 7003--------------------------------------------------
Re: BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch -
28 February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 10:03 am
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HTML http://unidentified.wikia.com/wiki/Baby_Andrew
Baby Andrew
Baby Andrew was a newborn baby discovered in Sioux Falls, South
Dakota on February 28, 1981.
He died from exposure and a loss of blood.
HTML https://i.imgur.com/j6XoxQp.jpg
HTML https://i.imgur.com/sNJAgQQ.jpg
Baby Andrew
HTML https://i.imgur.com/ffPQVfP.jpg
#Post#: 7004--------------------------------------------------
Re: BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch -
28 February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 10:06 am
---------------------------------------------------------
HTML http://ksoo.com/sioux-falls-police-still-trying-to-solve-1981-baby-death/
SIOUX FALLS POLICE STILL TRYING TO SOLVE 1981 BABY DEATH
ASSOCIATED PRESS
January 20, 2016
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Sioux Falls police are making another
attempt to solve the death of a baby 35 years ago.
The infant known as Baby Andrew John Doe was found frozen at the
bottom of an icy ditch in February 1981. The coroner at the time
said the baby died of cold and blood loss, likely within two
hours of his birth.
The Argus Leader reports that police exhumed the baby's skeletal
remains last year and sent them to a forensics laboratory in
Fort Worth, Texas, after learning about a method for extracting
DNA from bones. Investigators think the technology gives them a
chance to identify to whom the baby belonged.
Police Chief Matt Burns says finding out who the parents are "is
a fundamental piece in getting this case solved."
#Post#: 7005--------------------------------------------------
Re: BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch -
28 February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 10:14 am
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HTML http://www.ksfy.com/content/news/Si...formation-about-1981-cold-case-475557073.html
Sioux Falls police seeking information about 1981 cold case
Posted: Thu 11:32 AM, Mar 01, 2018
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KSFY) - Authorities in Sioux Falls are asking
for the public's help in a 1981 cold case involving the death of
an infant.
HTML https://i.imgur.com/GKw4Ttb.jpg
According to Public Information Sam Clemens, an abandoned
newborn baby boy was found near 26th Street and Sycamore Avenue
on February 28, 1981. The baby died of exposure.
On Thursday, police released new pictures from the crime scene.
The photos show details about the area, as well as a blanket,
sheet, and shirt the baby was left with.
Clemens said they hope they might spark a memory, or encourage
someone who knows something about the case to come forward.
Police began looking back into the case eight years ago using
DNA testing, but have not yet connected the case to any
suspects.
Anyone with any information about the crime is asked to call
police at 605-367-7212.
HTML https://i.imgur.com/th5usNo.jpg
HTML https://i.imgur.com/O2ZrYzr.jpg
HTML https://i.imgur.com/aJrSOtA.jpg
#Post#: 7006--------------------------------------------------
Re: BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch -
28 February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 10:15 am
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HTML https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2016/01/19/man-haunted-memory-abandoned-baby/79020044/
Man haunted by memory of abandoned baby
Mark Walker, mwalker@argusleader.com Published 5:22 p.m. CT Jan.
19, 2016
Sioux Falls man discovered baby Andrew John Doe in ditch 35
years ago
HTML https://i.imgur.com/VFNmJH5.jpg
A red wine-colored blanket caught his eye while cruising in the
passenger seat of a friend's new jeep.
Lee Litz asked his friend to pull over. He stepped out into the
cold air with a sour feeling in his gut.
He reached down, lifted the blanket and found a lifeless baby
boy, tears frozen to his cheeks.
“I went straight up into the air – it really scared me,” Litz
said.
The memory tormented him for years and remains etched in his
mind 35 years later.
Litz is the passerby who called police in 1981 after finding
Baby Andrew John Doe in a ditch near 33rd Street and Sycamore
Avenue. The case remains one of Sioux Falls' few unsolved
homicides. Police recently sent the baby's remains to a
forensics lab in Texas, where technicians are working to extract
DNA evidence in hopes of identifying the mother.
The coroner said at the time said the baby died of cold and
blood loss, likely within two hours of his birth. In the moment,
Litz knew the baby was dead but he still thought paramedics
might revive him. He rushed to a friend's house nearby and
called police. Sioux Falls Police confirmed Tuesday that Litz
made the call.
Cold case: Police hope DNA leads to parents of abandoned baby
Litz was among about 50 strangers who attended a funeral for the
boy a week after he was found in the ditch.
“I still can see a little boy lying in his casket and feeling
this is so wrong,” Litz said.
Reading about the police department's effort to close the case
with DNA evidence brought back difficult memories, Litz said,
but it also gave him hope that Baby Andrew will have some
justice.
Few days go by when Baby Andrew doesn’t cross Litz’s mind, he
said. His wife was pregnant at the time. His daughter and Baby
Andrew would be the same age. He wonders what Baby Andrew would
have become if he'd noticed him lying in the ditch sooner.
“I sure would have adopted him rather than see him die like
that,” Litz said.
Litz still visits the baby's grave at St. Michael Cemetery on
Cliff Avenue. So does Litz’s daughter, Crystal Oestreich, who
leave flowers and sock animals for someone she considers her
older brother.
HTML https://i.imgur.com/DCzSkgN.jpg
(Photo: Argus Leader File Photo)
“He’s got a family, even though his mom and whoever did this
horrible thing to him,” Oestreich said as she wiped tears from
her eyes.
Litz turned to alcohol in the weeks that followed the discovery.
He struggled through restless nights and nightmares. “Over the
years it’s subsided,” Litz said.
Two days after the funeral, Litz remembers hearing about a baby
who was dropped off in front of a local fire station. He
regretted that Baby Andrew didn’t have the same chance.
“To see a child thrown away like that – how could someone do
that,” said Litz. “Someone got away with murder.”
Only one thing will put Litz’s mind at ease: to have Baby
Andrew’s killer brought to justice.
Sioux Falls Police spokesman Sam Clemens said Sunday's Argus
Leader coverage hadn't prompted any new leads or phone calls,
but investigators hope to have the case closed by year’s end.
“I’d like to go to my grave knowing this has been solved,” Litz
said.
#Post#: 7007--------------------------------------------------
Re: BABY ANDREW: M, newborn, found in a Sioux Falls, SD ditch -
28 February 1981 *IDENTIFIED*
DIR By: Akoya
Date: June 19, 2020, 10:16 am
---------------------------------------------------------
HTML https://www.aberdeennews.com/sioux-...cle_b84bbaa6-bfad-11e5-8752-3f6ea102f218.html
Sioux Falls police still trying to solve 1981 baby death
Jan 20, 2016
SIOUX FALLS — Sioux Falls police are making another attempt to
solve the death of a baby 35 years ago.
The infant known as Baby Andrew John Doe was found frozen at the
bottom of an icy ditch on Feb. 28, 1981. The coroner at the time
said the baby died of cold and blood loss, likely within two
hours of his birth.
Police exhumed the baby's skeletal remains last year and sent
them to a forensics laboratory in Fort Worth, Texas, after
learning about a method for extracting DNA from bones, the Argus
Leader newspaper reported (
HTML http://argusne.ws/1S46oBB
).
Investigators think the technology gives them a chance to
identify the baby's mother and father.
"Finding out who the parents are is a fundamental piece in
getting this case resolved," Police Chief Matt Burns said.
Police in 1981 asked the public and local doctors for help
identifying the mother, but no leads surfaced. A woman did offer
to arrange a funeral. She refused to give her name but did name
the baby as Andrew.
The case remains one of Sioux Falls' few unsolved homicides.
Police expect lab results later this year.
"If there is something new we can work with to develop a new
lead, we will follow it until it runs into a dead-end or
conclusion," said Lt. David McIntire with the Sioux Falls Police
Department's Crimes Against Persons Unit.
Minnehaha County State's Attorney Aaron McGowan said he supports
the police department's decision to test the remains, and that
he would consider bringing charges in the case.
"If we are able to develop a suspect and had probable cause to
believe that a crime occurred, my office would certainly review
the matter to hold any offenders accountable," he said.
Lee Litz, the passer-by who called police in 1981 after spotting
the baby's body, said the memory remains etched in his mind 35
years later.
"To see a child thrown away like that — how could someone do
that?" he said. "Someone got away with murder."
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