CHILLICOTHE, Ohio —- The Ross County Coroner’s Office is reaching out to the public for assistance in resolving a 1975 cold case involving a newborn found dead atop a trash pile.
The Guardian first reported the reopening of this case, which centers on an infant discovered on Windy Ridge Road in February 1975.
In a statement released Thursday, the coroner’s office emphasized the need for public cooperation. “We know that the baby girl was buried in the Mt. Tabor Cemetery. The gravesite has since been lost,” the statement said. Previous efforts to locate the child’s grave have been unsuccessful.
To aid in the search, the agency will employ ground-penetrating radar to locate the child’s grave.
Background on the Case
The infant was found on February 2, 1975, wrapped in a blood-stained cloth and covered by a woman’s skirt. Nearby, a blood-filled bathroom trash can was also discovered. The baby had been discarded on a trash pile at a roadside dump along Windy Ridge Road. The body was found by a 13-year-old boy, and the coroner at the time determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation.
“We want to be clear; we only want to find her and make every effort to give her the identity she deserves; everyone deserves a name,” stated the coroner’s office. “We are not judging nor are we seeking any punishment. The statute of limitations has long passed, so this isn’t about blame or judgment. This is only about giving a child her identity.”
Anyone with information about the burial site’s location is urged to contact the Ross County Coroner’s Office by emailing [email protected] or calling 740-775-7464. Callers may remain anonymous and, if desired, will not receive a callback.
