Alisha Ann Heinrich (May 24, 1981 – December 3 or 4, 1982), formerly known as “Delta Dawn” was a young girl located deceased in the Escatawpa River in Moss Point, Mississippi in 1982. She was last seen with her mother, who remains a missing person and her mother’s male friend, now a suspect in her death. Her identification was announced on December 4, 2020, nearly 38 years after her murder.
It is believed that Heinrich was seen alive with a woman who was carrying a child while pacing over a bridge. The woman, presumably Heinrich’s mother or abductor, was causing a disturbance and refused help from those who offered.
Her body was found after a man had called police to report a woman’s body in the river, but the child’s body was found instead. The adult has never been located. The caller stated that the victim was wearing a blue plaid shirt, possibly flannel.
Heinrich had been alive when she entered the water, as she inhaled water before dying. An apparent attempt to smother her had taken place beforehand. It is unknown why she had been disposed of in the water.
Another victim, the Jackson County John Doe was found after an additional search. He was not likely related to this case, as he had been shot and was deceased for a significant amount of time before.
Jackson County John Doe- https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMU/1219914/1/screen
Gwendolyn, Alisha’s mother, is still a missing person- https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/73713
They were last seen around Thanksgiving 1982, when they left their Joplin home with Clemons’ boyfriend.
Clemons said she wanted to start a new life in Florida, Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said Friday. Neither she nor Alisha was seen again by family.
Clemons’ boyfriend, whose name was not made public, eventually returned to Missouri without them. The man, who has since died, is considered a suspect in the baby’s death, Ezell said.
https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Alisha_Heinrich
https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/toddler-found-dead-river-mississippi-identified-by-dna-after-38-years-authorities-say/QC5AZHPIPRC7VNRT5LGYNTFUWU/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Alisha_Heinrich
Cheryl Pyne disappeared in August 2004, and although her body was not found, a man was convicted of manslaughter in her death in 2009.
Welner said her family had “moved on” and become resigned to never knowing where her body was.
Unbeknownst to them, her remains were actually discovered in Saint John in 2012. But they weren’t identified until recently.
RCMP spokesperson Const. Hans Ouellette said new developments in DNA technology allowed samples collected from a family member to be used to match a sample in the National Missing Persons DNA Program.
That’s not the only mystery that remains for Welner’s family. They’re still wondering who killed their mother less than a year after Pyne’s murder.
Kathryn Pyne-Welner was also the victim of a homicide. The 45-year-old Moncton woman last seen alive on the evening of May 12, 2005 on Lutz Street in Moncton. Her naked body was discovered on May 17, 2005 under an ATV bridge at the head of the Shediac River in Stilesville. Her case has never been solved and police continue to seek information about her death. Ouellette said the mother and daughter homicides are not related.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/remains-identified-as-moncton-murder-victim-1.5844340
“Baby Boy Horry” is the nickname given to an infant found deceased near Conway, South Carolina. The child’s mother was identified in March 2020 and has been charged with his murder following her arrest.
Utility workers found the infant’s body was found on December 4, 2008, in Horry County, South Carolina, near Conway. The location was in a wooded area off State Highway 544. He was wrapped in a blanket, placed in a Bath and Body Works tote bag, and then into a box. He likely lived between hours and a day after birth; the cause of death was exposure to the cold. He was later buried at a local cemetery, where services were held annually by the local coroner’s office.
In 2018, a woman from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was theorized to be the child’s mother, after she was charged with disposing of her two infants’ bodies in 2017 and 2018. DNA eventually ruled her out.
The child’s case was submitted for genetic genealogy. By March 2, 2020, his parents were conclusively identified through DNA evidence. His mother, Jennifer Sahr, had since moved to Pensacola, Florida and started a family with her husband (who is implied to not have been this infant’s father). At the time of his birth, Sahr was approximately 21 and working toward a degree at a nearby university, where she was recognized for academic honors. Hours after her arrest warrant was issued, she hired a lawyer and drove to South Carolina to self-surrender.
Had she provided shelter and nutritional care, he would not have died, which resulted in a murder charge. There was also a law in place allowing mothers to surrender infants legally at designated locations. A facility of this kind was miles away.
https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Baby_Boy_Horry
“Baby Eve” was an infant discovered in a dumpster in Calgary, Alberta on Christmas Eve in 2017. In January 2020, with assistance from the American-based company Parabon, the newborn’s mother was identified through DNA as Nina Albright.
The infant’s body was located in a dumpster in a parking lot at 11:30 PM. Police initially believed she had been at the scene between between a half hour and 7.5 hours. It was unclear how the baby, later known as “Baby Eve” had died, as no injuries were apparent. There was a possibility that she had been born alive and died from exposure. Police were initially unsuccessful with obtaining information after canvassing the area, and they did question whether the mother was local to the area. Nearly 100 tips were submitted but did not yield results.
After the body was autopsied, it was determined that Baby Eve was born alive on the day she was discovered and had no breathing abnormalities. The manner of death was undetermined, so investigators declined to label the infant’s mother beyond being a person of interest. At this point of their investigation, there was no evidence that she had specifically disposed of the body. It could not be verified whether Baby Eve was “abandoned alive.”
In February 2018, the Parabon Nanolabs released results of phenotype testing on the mother of Baby Eve, which were submitted in hopes to resolve the case. The phenotype results suggested Baby Eve’s mother was of European and Indigenous descent, with a light complexion, green or hazel eyes, few freckles, and dark hair. An accompanying composite image was developed, depicting Albright at ages of 18, 25, and 35.
DNA identified Baby Eve’s mother as Nina Albright, who was 21 at the time of her arrest. Security footage also provided sufficient evidence to support this finding. Albright was observed, with a male she was believed to have been dating, around the time the infant was born buying unspecified items associated with post-delivery care. The father of the baby had not been identified at the time of Albright’s arrest in late January 2020.
Subsequently, she was charged for the unlawful disposal of a body, as well as failure to provide proper medical attention to her newborn daughter.
https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Baby_Eve
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-police-baby-death-1.5438347
“Baby Michael” was a newborn infant found murdered in 1999. He had been severely beaten prior to being deposited alongside a road.
Twelve days before the 21st anniversary of his death, his mother was identified as Deborah Riddle O’Conner and was subsequently charged with his murder.
https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Baby_Michael
Lucas County John Doe (2017)
Two babies were found wrapped up in blankets under the dashboard of two separate cars. Baby Doe #1 which was a boy was discovered on Vaness Drive in May 2017.
In November 2019, the Toledo Police Department and the Cold Case Investigative Unit at the Lucas County Prosecutors Office submitted DNA samples to AdvanceDNA which is a genetic genealogy firm. The firm used ancestry databases to confirm the infant was genetically related to a person who lived on Vaness Drive and was a blood relative to Jacob Cisneros, Jenna’s husband. The database also revealed that Jenna Cisneros was likely the mother of the child.
The couple was arrested after DNA evidence confirmed Jenna and Jacob Cisneros were the biological parents of Baby Doe. It was during this investigation that detectives discovered the mummified body of Baby Doe #2, a girl, located in a car registered to Jacob Cisneros.
The babies’ cause of death couldn’t be determined.
During a search of the Cisneros mobile home, detectives found bedding matching the bedding that Baby Doe #2 was wrapped in inside Jacob’s vehicle.
Detectives also believe Jenna gave birth to the baby inside her home.
There were no birth records for either children.
The Toledo Police Department Investigative Services Division used the DNA from a distant cousin, who voluntarily uploaded their DNA to an online database, to solve the a case that started on May 11, 2017.
https://nbc24.com/news/local/police-match-toledo-couples-dna-to-abandoned-baby-who-died-in-2017
During his statement in court Frank Spryszak, a prosecutor for Lucas County, said if the case had gone to trial, the state would’ve proven that Jenna Cisneros carried both babies to full term, did not engage in prenatal care, and did not take any steps to ensure the health and safety of the babies when they were born. The lack and duty of care resulted in the death of each child.
In addition, Spryszak said Jenna Cisneros hid both babies bodies to evade law enforcement and when confronted, she lied about the pregnancies and giving birth to the children.
Jenna Cisneros, 34, was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, endangering children, tampering with evidence, and obstruction of justice. As part of her plea, the two endangering children charges merged with the two involuntary manslaughter charges, which means she was sentenced on the involuntary manslaughter charges, she will spend 25 years in prison
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/crime/toledo-mom-pleads-no-contest-childrens-car-deaths/
Mr. Cisneros is out-of-custody on electronic monitoring as his case continues.