Twelve years ago, police in Conway, South Carolina discovered a 1-day-old newborn baby boy dead inside of a tote bag in December 2008. Until last week, the case remained unsolved.
Now, DNA testing has revealed that the baby’s mother, Jennifer Sahr, now 32, was responsible for killing her child, The Post and Courier reports. Sahr was arrested last Tuesday by the Carolina Regional Fugitive U.S. Marshals Task Force on one count of homicide by child abuse. Sahr was transported to South Carolina where she has since been held without bond.
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At the time of the killing, Sahr was a 20-year-old student at Coastal Caroline University. Then, Sahr was known by her maiden name, Jennifer Rickel. Today, Sahr is married with two children, a toddler and a 6-month-old child, living in Pensacola, Florida, according to The Post and Courier.
The newborn’s body was discovered by utility workers in a box in a wooded area off of a local highway in South Carolina. After an autopsy, police reported that the baby was alive when he was placed in the box.
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Police have spent more than a decade looking for the baby’s killer and finally got a break in the case with the help of DNA. The Horry County community has been looking for closure on the case as well. The baby’s body was buried in Horry County and the local Coroner Robert Edge leads a yearly memorial for the child.
“Over the last 12 years, the Horry County community has demonstrated a commitment to keeping the memory of Baby Boy Horry alive,” police said in a statement that was shared by The Post and Courier. “It is our sincere hope that this new development will bring the community and all who have been touched by this case some sense of peace.”
According to Myrtle Beach Online, neighbors who knew Sahr described her as “a good mom, a quiet mom, a mom they wouldn’t question.” “You wouldn’t suspect any issues with her,” neighbor Steve Adams told the publication, while another neighbor said, “She is so good with her two children.”
It’s unclear when Sahr is expected in court next.