by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Baby John Doe case remains open as detectives pursue new genealogical leads
WELD COUNTY – The Weld County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is renewing its call for information in the 2002 death of a newborn boy found outside a Brighton auto shop.
On a September morning in 2002, employees arriving at L&M Auto Repair discovered the infant under a bush, wrapped in a distinctive blue blanket featuring the words “Skate Bear.” The baby, later referred to as “John Doe,” had dark hair, weighed about seven pounds, and measured 21 inches in length. Pathologists determined he had been born healthy just hours earlier, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., but the cause of death could not be confirmed.
Investigators at the time pursued every available lead, but no family members were identified, and the case went cold. Recently, WCSO partnered with Othram, a forensic genealogy lab, to develop a detailed DNA profile. While no definitive relatives have been located, detectives continue to follow leads and remain hopeful that new technology will provide answers.
“This baby deserves a name, and his family deserves to know what happened,” said investigators.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Cold Case Detective Byron Kastilahn at (970) 356-4015, the WCSO tip line at (970) 304-6464, or email [email protected]. The case is listed in NamUs as UP10386.
Community members with even the smallest piece of information are asked to come forward. More details are available at weldsheriff.com (if outbound link is allowed).
Attribution: Weld County Sheriff’s Office