By: Richard L. Smith
In a bid to unravel a heart-wrenching mystery that has remained unsolved for thirty-seven years, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office is reaching out to the public for assistance in identifying a newborn baby who was discovered abandoned in South Orange a day after Thanksgiving in 1986.
According to a statement released by Spokesman Robert Florida, on the morning of November 28, 1986, sanitation workers made a grim discovery behind an apartment building at 5 Cottage Street in South Orange.
Atop a trash can, they found the lifeless body of a newborn baby wrapped in a towel and a yellow table runner.
The infant had been carefully placed inside a wicker picnic basket, which was left on the trash can.
The baby, a white male, weighed a mere five pounds and still had his umbilical cord attached.
Investigators working on the case are now turning to advanced DNA analysis and genetic databases in hopes of identifying the parents or any potential relatives of the abandoned baby.
However, they acknowledge that they will require the public's assistance to solve this decades-old mystery fully.
To aid in their efforts, photographs of the towel, the table runner, and the wicker basket have been provided as potential clues.
Investigators suspect that the picnic basket may have been purchased from a local store, and they are hoping this detail may jog someone's memory.
As the 37th anniversary of this heartrending incident approaches, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office is making a heartfelt plea to anyone with information about the case to come forward.
You can contact their tip line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or send an email to HomicideTips@njecpo.org. It is important to note that all information provided can be kept confidential.
This enduring mystery serves as a reminder of the importance of community involvement in bringing closure to unsolved cases and providing answers to long-asked questions.
The hope is that, with the public's help, the identity of the abandoned newborn and the circumstances surrounding this tragic event can finally be revealed, offering a measure of peace to those affected by the mystery for nearly four decades.