North Carolina woman arrested nearly 50 years after baby found dead in trash bag at landfill

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Nearly 50 years after a newborn baby girl was found in a trash bag at a North Carolina landfill, authorities have arrested a woman in one of the area’s oldest unsolved cold cases.

The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office announced Feb. 25 that Cathy McKee, 69, of Whiteville, North Carolina was arrested and charged with felony concealing the birth of a child. McKee was identified through DNA testing as the infant’s mother.

The investigation began in 1979 after the newborn’s body was discovered at a Columbus County landfill. Despite an extensive investigation, all leads were eventually exhausted. Still, investigators said the case was “never forgotten.”

“For 47 years, this baby girl’s story was carried forward — passed from one generation of investigators to the next,” the sheriff’s department said. “Some who first worked the scene are still remembered today; others have since retired, moved on, or passed away.”

The department said the responsibility felt by the original investigators “did not fade,” calling the case a lasting reminder that the child deserved to be remembered and her story deserved answers.

Officials noted that although the case predated modern DNA technology, investigators used “extraordinary care” in preserving evidence, which ultimately made the arrest possible decades later.

“Their professionalism, compassion, and foresight ensured that this baby girl would not be lost to time,” the department said.

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Cathy Mckee was arrested by Columbus County Sheriff’s Office

The case was formally reopened more than a year ago, and investigators were able to pursue new leads using advances in DNA testing, ultimately identifying McKee as the baby’s mother.

Sheriff Bill Rogers said that even after nearly half a century, the child was “never forgotten.”

“As a father, this case is one that hits deeply. Every child who enters this world deserves protection, love, and the chance to be known,” he said. “For 47 years, this baby girl’s life — however brief — mattered to the investigators who first held that case in their hands and to every detective who reviewed it after. She was never just evidence, never just a report. She was a child, and she was never forgotten.”