PHOENIX — The mother of a newborn who was found dead in a trash can at Sky Harbor airport in 2005 has been arrested, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
Annie Anderson, 51, was arrested in Arlington, Washington and faces murder charges in the case.
The newborn girl’s body was found wrapped in a hotel bag in a woman’s restroom garbage can at Sky Harbor on Oct. 10, 2005. She became known as "Baby Skylar."
Investigators worked tirelessly on the case for years but it eventually went cold.
Advancements in investigative genetic genealogy were key in cracking the case, according to the FBI.
"Simply put, the FBI cannot do its work without the vibrant collaboration of our local law enforcement partners," a supervising special agent from the FBI said.
The technique uses publicly available genealogy databases to match unknown crime scene DNA with existing records. It isn't used in as evidence in courts, just as an identifying technique to point law enforcement in the right direction. In this case, a DNA match led investigators to a relative of Anderson.
"The evidence on scene indicated that the birth likely did not happen at the airport, and the bathroom is where the baby was abandoned by the suspect, or suspects," Phoenix police Lieutenant James Hester said. Baby Skylar was found wrapped in a plastic bag and "the medical examiner ruled the cause of death as suffocation."
Sgt. Troy Hillman, a retired Phoenix police cold case detective, told 12News he was happy to hear about the advancement in the case. He worked on the case around 2015.
"We were fueled by emotion," Hillman said. “There was no reason this baby had to die. This baby could have been left at the hotel, could have been left at a fire station, a Quik Trip, a hospital, any number of safe havens.”
Hillman helped initiate the use of genealogy in Baby Skylar's case by working with an outside agency to develop an image of what the mother could look like.
“We had a composite, but we had a little bit of difficulty as to where to go from there," Hillman said.
Detectives said investigative genetic genealogy can't be used as standalone evidence, but as the technology evolved, Hillman said it's giving investigators new leads in cases that have been sitting quiet for years.
“It’s a game changer in terms of technique and actually finding bad guys," Hillman said.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office was contacted in December by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office requesting assistance to locate Anderson. Deputies responded to her address and she was taken into custody without incident for a fugitive warrant, SCSO said.
Anderson allegedly confessed to abandoning the baby when she was confronted by law enforcement. Lt. Hester declined to share exactly what Anderson said at that time. Anderson was evidently in Phoenix "on business."
Investigators do not suspect that the baby's father was culpable in her death. Anderson was taken into custody on a warrant for first-degree murder.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said it received recommended charges for Anderson from the Phoenix police Department:
- Murder in the first-degree
- Child abuse
- Concealment of a body
There is no set date for her extradition at this time.
Officials held a press conference to share updates on the case. You can watch the full event below:
>>This is a developing story; additional details will be added as they become available.
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