New Hope For Finding Mom Of Dead Baby At Recycling Center In 2014

FARMINGDALE, NJ -- Three years after the body of a baby girl was found at a Farmingdale recycling facility, state and local authorities say they have new hope of finding the mother of the baby, thanks to a new DNA technique.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni and Acting State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan released a composite picture of a woman that was produced from DNA extracted from clothing that was found with the body of the baby girl.

The baby girl's body was found by an employee of the ReCommunity Recycling facility on Railroad Avenue on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014. Gramiccioni said the baby was 22 inches long and weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and "did breathe life before passing," according to the medical examiner's report, he said.

The girl was found decapitated, but Gramiccioni said the medical examiner's office was not able to determine the manner and cause of death because more information was needed.

"No one is a suspect of any type of crime," he said. "We do not have any evidence of foul play."

Along with the baby's body, there were two blood-stained blouses and a pair of underwear, along with a handbag, Gramiccioni said. Photos of the blouses were circulated in the weeks after the baby was found, but produced no leads, he said.

In the months since, investigators have determined the clothing was purchased at a store on Main Street in Orange named Rainbow, Callahan said. The handbag was bought in the same area, at a store named Wiz, he said.

DNA extracted from the clothing was sent to a company named Parabon, which uses DNA phenotyping to produce a composite picture of what a person may look like. The company works with law enforcement agencies across the country to produce these predictive composite pictures, according to the Parabon website.

This is the first time it's being employed in Monmouth County, Gramiccioni said. The DNA phenotyping cost $5,000 and the prosecutor's office paid for it through the use of drug forfeiture funds, he said.

Callahan described the mother as being Latina, from either Central or South American descent, with dark hair, brown skin and dark eyes.

"This is not a photograph of the woman," Callahan said, "this is a predictive composite of what she may look like."

Both are hopeful the rendering will produce leads in identifying the woman. There is a $5,000 reward in the case, Callahan said.

"We believe even three years later that someone knows who this woman is," Callahan said. "We are hoping to identify her to talk about the situation that unfolded three years ago."

Callahan said they are hoping the rendering will help jog memories of someone who was perhaps wearing baggy clothing or not feeling well or otherwise behaving in a way that may have been attributable to being pregnant.

Gramiccioni stressed there has been no determination that a crime was committed. The cause and manner of death is undetermined because the medical examiner, who examined the baby's body, needed more information to make a determination, Gramicccioni said.

"Our primary goal is to identify the mother or family of this child," he said.

Members of the Ardena Baptist Church in Howell sought permission to give the baby a proper burial and in April 2015, the baby was buried in a ceremony at that church. Members named her Ella Grace to honor and value the baby's life. When her body was released to the church, there was an outpouring of effort from the congregation; church members and Clayton & McFirr Funeral Home stepped in to plan the funeral and memorial service.

Gramiccioni said the release of the information at the holidays was deliberate.

"We are hoping for a holiday miracle," he said. "We are hoping someone will be compelled to call in" with information so they can get some answers to the identity of the baby's mother and the baby's death.

"We are trying desperately in the hopes that someone in the public might know something," Gramiccioni said, "so we can break this case open for this poor little girl who breathed life for such a brief period of time before passing."

"We want to find out what happened," he said.

Tips can be called in to New Jersey State Police Detective Joseph Itri of the homicide department at 609-963-6993 or Detective Brian Weisbrot at the Monmouth County prosecutor's office at 800-533-7443. Those would like to remain anonymous can contact Monmouth County Crime Stoppers at 800-671-4400 or text "MONMOUTH" plus your tip to 274637.

Photos: Composite sketch of the baby whose body was found at the recycling plant and the Snapshot DNA phenotyping composite of what the mother may look like. Screenshot of the Facebook live press conference.