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Lancaster police made a dreadful discovery in September 2007 when they found a dead newborn infant, Baby Mary Anne, wrapped in a blood-stained towel in a dumpster behind a Pennsylvania YMCA.
Despite chasing leads and a thorough investigation, the case went cold for years.
But now, through genetic analysis and genealogical research, Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams announced that the baby's alleged mother, 44-year-old Tara Brazzle, has been arrested in the case.
Brazzle, who went by Tara Indrakosit in 2007, was charged with one count of criminal homicide in the case. She is currently being held by the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Department pending extradition to Pennsylvania.
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The case got a fresh look in 2016 when Sgt. Randell Zook of Lancaster City police took over the investigation.
Parabon Nanolabs uploaded Baby Mary Anne's DNA into a genetic genealogy database in 2018, when they found a second cousin for her.
From there, Zook used "a variety of genealogy resources, open-source information, and police databases" to build a reverse family tree that ultimately led him to Brazzle.
Tara Brazzle, 44, was arrested in California last week on one count of criminal homicide in the 2007 death of Baby Mary Anne. (Lancaster County District Attorney's Office)
Zook and Detective Jessica Higgins interviewed Brazzle at her home in Indiana on July 1, and police said she admitted to being Baby Mary Anne's mother and giving birth to her at her previous home in Pennsylvania.
"Brazzle indicated that she knew she was pregnant, failed to seek any prenatal care for the baby and did not provide any medical care to the baby after giving birth," the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said this week.
Brazzle said during that interview that she placed the baby in the dumpster several days later, according to authorities.
A day after the interview at Brazzle's home in Indiana, she got on a flight to California and was arrested after deboarding the plane in San Jose.
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"It's really because of the persistence and dedication of lead investigator Sgt. Zook and other members of the Lancaster City Bureau of Police that we can now begin the process of holding this suspect accountable and seeking justice for Baby Mary Anne and others impacted by this tragedy," Lancaster County DA Heather Adams said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"This case was certainly incredibly sad when it happened, " Adams said. "And it's certainly incredibly sad now, as those with ties to Baby Mary Anne begin to process and grieve a personal loss about which they are only now learning."
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