North Carolina woman arrested nearly 50 years after newborn found at landfill

Nearly 50 years after a newborn girl was found in a trash bag at a Columbus County landfill, authorities arrested a North Carolina woman, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office said Feb. 25.

The sheriff’s office said Cathy McKee, 69, of Whiteville, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with felony concealing the birth of a child. Investigators identified McKee through DNA testing as the infant’s mother, the office said.

The investigation began in 1979 after the newborn’s body was discovered at the landfill. The sheriff’s office said investigators pursued numerous leads at the time but those leads were eventually exhausted.

The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office said the case was “never forgotten.” “For 47 years, this baby girl’s story was carried forward — passed from one generation of investigators to the next,” the office said. Officials said investigators took “extraordinary care” to preserve evidence, which later made the DNA identification possible.

The case was formally reopened more than a year ago and advances in DNA testing allowed detectives to pursue new leads, the sheriff’s office said. Sheriff Bill Rogers said, “As a father, this case is one that hits deeply. Every child who enters this world deserves protection, love, and the chance to be known.” McKee was released on a $5,000 bond and waived her right to counsel at a court appearance this week, the office said.

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