UPPER FREEHOLD — Investigators hope that an unsolved case involving the remains of “Baby Bones,” a young girl found in the woods in Upper Freehold four years ago, will have closure after the story was featured on the Fox network’s “America’s Most Wanted” program on March 14.
A deer hunter in the woods of Clayton Park, near Route 526, found the partially buried skeletal remains on March 18, 2005. According to information from the New Jersey State Police, the investigation determined that the remains were that of a girl believed to be between the ages of 5 and 9 years old. Police said the investigation was ruled a homicide, believed to have occurred between 2001 and 2004.
Peter Gillespie, a producer with “America’s Most Wanted,” said the program learned of the “Baby Bones” case at the time the remains were discovered. In the case of a fugitive whose identity is known, the television series can launch an episode rather quickly, but in cases where remains are discovered, the police have to first conduct an investigation and gather what clues are available, Gillespie said.
Gillespie said a search was conducted within the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s database for a child matching the description investigators provided, but the search yielded no results. The producer said that as long as a child is reported missing, the center would have records dating back about 30 years. Since it appears that this young girl was never reported missing, signs indicate that her parents or guardians could have been involved, Gillespie said, citing similar famous cases, including “Baby Grace.”
In that case, the remains of a child were discovered in Texas in 2007. The child was later identified by a relative who saw a sketch of the little girl, and the child’s mother was convicted of the murder in February 2009.
“Investigators from the Criminal Investigations Office with the assistance of Major Crimes and Crime Scene Unit believe that national media exposure will benefit the case and increase the chances of finding the identity of the child,” according to a press release from state police.
Dr. Paul Kovalski, of Marlboro, works as a forensic dental consultant for the Monmouth County Medical Examiner’s Office and performed the examination on the skull back in 2005. Kovalski explained to Greater Media Newspapers last week that he had been contacted by producers from “America’s Most Wanted” to appear in their upcoming episode to discuss his findings on the case.
Kovalski told a reporter that upon examining the skull in 2005, he found the child’s teeth to be in good condition, which sparked his belief that the child either had received good dental care or quite possibly came from an urban area that fluoridates its water.
“This child could have been from an urban area. For instance, Trenton fluoridates water, Camden doesn’t. Only 22 percent of New Jersey fluoridates water,” Kovalski said.
Kovalski said that during the time investigators reviewed the remains it was discovered through DNA testing that the child had been a female, and bone structure suggested she may have been African American or Hispanic. Kovlaski also noted that there was evidence of charring, leading investigators to believe someone had tried to burn the body after the murder to hide the evidence.
Gillespie said investigators found a partially burned Nike sneaker near the remains, a style known to be distributed in 2000 and 2001, and also found the remains of possibly a bag with the cartoon character Sylvester the Cat on it.
“Any unplanned death isn’t good, but when you have a little child that disappeared and was never reported, it’s something that is very sad, because someone had to know about this child,” Kovalski said about the case.
“America’s Most Wanted” brought in famous facial reconstruction artist Frank Bender to reconstruct the child’s face so that hopefully someone will recognize her, Gillespie said. The child’s image was aired during the show.
Bender is known for the facial reconstruction of John List, who was eventually captured following the unveiling on “America’s Most Wanted.”
For those who may have missed the episode’s airing, more information on the “Baby Bones” case can be found on the “America’s Most Wanted” Internet website at www.amw.com.