STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Vermont State Police announces resolution of 1982 Baby Doe death investigation

 

NORTHFIELD, Vermont (Wednesday, May 29, 2024) — After 42 years, the Vermont State Police announces that the1982 Baby Doe death investigation is officially resolved, and no criminal charges will be filed.

On April 1, 1982, children waiting for a school bus on Mill Hill Road (now known as Gillespie Road) in Northfield located a deceased infant just off the roadway. A parent of the children contacted the Northfield Police Department, and subsequently the Northfield police chief requested investigative assistance from the Vermont State Police. Investigators confirmed that the deceased body was that of a recently born male infant. The identity of the infant was unknown, and therefore the name Baby Doe was used for investigative identity purposes.

 

An autopsy of Baby Doe was conducted by Vermont Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Paul Morrow. Dr. Morrow identified Baby Doe as a full-term infant and noted that, although there were signs of existing medical conditions, the medical examiner was unable to determine if these conditions were the cause of death. Dr. Morrow was unable to positively determine whether Baby Doe died before or after birth, and therefore the cause and manner of death each were classified as undetermined. As is the case with most suspicious death autopsies, tissue and blood samples were kept on file as evidence.

 

In 2022, while continuing to work on this investigation, members of the Vermont State Police consulted with current Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Bundock to have her review the previous autopsy findings. Dr. Bundock’s assessment was consistent with those of Dr. Morrow, and she concurred that the cause and manner could not be classified based on the autopsy findings and the investigation.

 

In late April 1982, at St. Mary's Church in Northfield, the Rev. Frank E. Wisner III named the infant Matthew Isaac, and a funeral was held. Matthew Isaac Doe was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery following the service.

 

Although the manner of death was never classified as a homicide, investigators have always treated this case as a homicide until that classification could be ruled out. The initial investigation involved evidence collection, area canvasing and numerous interviews, but these efforts did not result in any information to help identify Matthew Isaac or his parents. With no further leads, and evidentiary DNA testing not yet available in 1982, the case remained unresolved.

 

With advancements in DNA testing, in 2020 the Vermont State Police partnered with Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia-based DNA technology company, to conduct Snapshot genetic genealogy analysis. The work conducted by Parabon was funded through donations. The initial funding was raised through Justice Drive, a crowdfunding portal dedicated to raising money to advance criminal investigations. Funding to complete the work was provided by Season of Justice, a nonprofit organization offering a donation-based grant program to assist in solving unsolved violent crimes.

 

In 2021 the DNA profile of a female was entered into CODIS. The female profile was from samples obtained from swabs of the infant and items he had been found bundled in. CODIS is an acronym for the Combined DNA Index System, a national database that contains DNA profiles of convicted offenders, unsolved crime-scene evidence and missing persons. The entry into CODIS did not result in an identification or leads.

 

In December 2021, Parabon provided a lead: the possible names of Matthew Isaac’s biological mother and father. These subjects were researched and found to have ties to the Northfield area in 1982.

 

With the assistance of the Maine State Police, personnel from the Vermont State Police contacted these subjects at their residence in Maine. With legal process in place, detectives were able to obtain DNA from them. These DNA samples later were tested by the Vermont Forensic Laboratory, and it was confirmed that they were the biological parents of Matthew Isaac.

 

Each of the biological parents agreed to provide statements to investigators. In 1982, the biological father had left Vermont for an extended period, and he had no knowledge of the pregnancy or the deceased infant disposal in Northfield. The biological mother admitted she had been responsible for unlawful disposal of the deceased infant. She described that at the time she did not know she was pregnant, and she did not have any symptoms that led her to believe she had become pregnant.

 

The biological mother described how she began to feel abdominal pain. She first thought she was ill, but then realized she was going into labor. She labored alone for several hours and lost consciousness. She regained consciousness to find she had delivered a baby boy, but the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. The baby did not survive. She wanted to give the baby a proper burial and planned to find a spot in the woods to bury him. While walking into the woods, she thought she heard voices and became scared. She turned to go and slipped. The baby fell from her arms, and she ran. She did not return to the area. 

 

Vermont State Police investigators met with Washington County State’s Attorney Michelle Donnelly to review the facts and circumstances of the investigation into Matthew Isaac Doe’s death. The cause and manner of death were unable to be determined by autopsy. That fact, observations of existing medical conditions noted by Dr. Morrow, and statements provided by the biological parents have led State’s Attorney Donnelly to determine that charges of murder are not warranted. The charge relating to the unauthorized disposal of a dead body has been determined to be beyond the statute of limitations, and therefore there are no applicable criminal charges to be filed with this death investigation.

 

As this investigation has resulted in no criminal charges being filed, the names of Matthew Isaac’s parents will not be released.

 

With these findings, the investigation into the death of Matthew Isaac Doe is now classified as resolved. This resolution took decades to obtain. The Vermont State Police expresses its gratitude to members of the public who provided information and donated to help finance the genetic testing and analysis. The Vermont State Police acknowledges the assistance, over the years, from the Vermont Forensic Lab, the Washington County State’s Attorney Office, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, the Northfield Police Department, the Maine State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Parabon NanoLabs, Justice Drive, and Season of Justice.

 

Finally, today’s announcement is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication by multiple members of the Vermont State Police. Specifically, Detective Sgts. Seth Richardson and Angela Baker and Major Crime Specialist Heather Gibbs all played critical roles in utilizing genetic genealogy along with investigative practices to uncover the answers we now have.

 

 

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Vermont State Police Capt. Jeremy Hill, commander of the Major Crime Unit, will be available at 2:30 p.m. today, Wednesday, May 29, via Microsoft Teams to discuss the resolution of this case. Members of the media who wish to attend should RSVP by 1:30 p.m. to the state police public information officer, Adam Silverman, at adam.silverman@vermont.gov.

 

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