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GEAUGA County, Ohio. (WOIO) – The Geauga County Sheriff's Office in Ohio has announced an arrest in the non-criminal case of the murder of "Geauga's Child," a baby found abandoned in Thompson Township 26 years ago.
Investigators arrested Thursday afternoon mother Gail Eastwood-Ritchey, 49, on suspicion of murder and aggravated murder.
According to Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand, the baby was found abandoned with its umbilical cord still attached by two newspaper delivery men on March 25, 1993, in the middle of Sidley Road.
It was also missing an arm and a leg to the baby, who would have been mutilated by animals and dragged on the road before the discovery.
According to inspectors, Eastwood-Ritchey admitted to having given birth to the baby, putting him in a plastic bag and abandoning him in the wooded area.
"To this day, even though she has acknowledged her involvement, she shows no remorse and does not take possession of baby cabbage," said Sheriff Hildenbrand.
Eastwood-Ritchey also admitted to the detectives that she had committed a similar crime two years before the birth of Geauga's Child in Cuyahoga County. This case is still under investigation.
The investigators claim that Eastwood-Ritchey is currently married to the father of "Geauga's Child" and now has three grown children.
According to the Geauga County Sheriff, she has hidden the pregnancy from her family and the child's father, which is why no one else is charged with the murder.
Forensic scientists performed family DNA tests and were able to identify potential family members. The initial DNA matches were made with more than 1,400 people in September 2018, connecting the baby boy to relatives in the nineteenth century. The detectives then worked in the back and were able to identify the suspect in Eastwood-Ritchey.
"I would like to thank the family members who were contacted and helped with the investigation," said Sheriff Hildenbrand. "Without their cooperation, we may not have solved this case yet."
This is the 51st case in the country solved with the help of family DNA tests.
The residents of Geauga County held a funeral for Geauga's child in 1993. To this day, visitors leave gifts and flowers on his tombstone.
Sheriff Hildenbrand said Eastwood-Ritchey was scheduled to appear in court for his initial appearance on Friday or Monday. She is currently detained at Geauga County Prison.
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