New Bedford woman faces charge related to newborn baby found dead at Fort Taber Park

A 22-year-old New Bedford woman has been arraigned in the case of “Baby Doe,” a male infant found dead at Fort Taber Park in December.

Daniela Michell Escobar-Mejia, the infant’s mother, faces a single charge of improper disposal of a body. She was arraigned in New Bedford District Court and released on personal recognizance.

She was also ordered to abide by all orders of the Department of Children and Families while the case is pending.

Escobar-Mejia is due back in court for a pretrial conference on Sept. 12.

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How the infant's body was discovered

According to the Bristol County District Attorney's office, on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, a woman was walking along a path near the water with her pre-teen niece when she saw a blanket near a thicket of bushes adjacent to the walking path. The woman also detected an odor of decay, police said.

She approached the blanket and found a white plastic bag wrapped inside of it. A decomposing, dead infant was inside the plastic bag. She called out to people nearby who called 911.

The infant’s body was taken to the Massachusetts Medical Examiners Office; the DA’s office also partnered with a private lab in Texas to perform extensive genealogical and forensic testing of DNA and other evidence collected in this case.

According to the DA’s office, investigators determined the infant was allegedly left in the park on Nov. 6, meaning it was there for more than a month prior to it being discovered.

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How evidence led the District Attorney's Office to the suspect

The DA’s office said DNA analysis, review of surveillance footage in and around the park and other investigatory methods led detectives to the defendant. Subsequent DNA testing determined she was the infant’s mother.

Due to the state of decomposition the infant was found in, the medical examiner was unable to determine if the baby had been alive prior to the alleged dumping of the infant in the park. No cause and manner of death could be determined.

Escobar-Mejia was summonsed into court after a lengthy investigation by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the district attorney’s office and prosecutors.

“I want to thank investigators for their efforts in this very sad and tragic case,” said Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: New Bedford woman faces charge related to newborn baby found dead at Fort Taber Park