Infant Found at Recycling Facility Finally Identified

Investigators linked the child to a Danbury woman after years of genetic research, surveillance and forensic DNA testing.

DANBURY, Conn. — A Connecticut woman faces a murder charge after investigators used genetic genealogy and discarded items to identify the parents of a newborn boy whose remains were found at a Stamford recycling facility nearly eight years ago.

Dominique Harrison, 28, of Danbury, is charged with murder with special circumstances in the death of her son. Prosecutors allege Harrison gave birth at home in October 2018 and placed the child in a dumpster while he was still alive. Harrison has not been convicted, and the allegations against her must be proven in court.

An employee found the newborn’s remains Oct. 16, 2018, at the City Carting & Recycling Center in Stamford, according to an arrest warrant that was recently made public. The full-term baby still had his umbilical cord attached. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that he had been born alive.

The medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide caused by neglect. Investigators said the child had traveled through the recycling facility’s machinery after arriving with a load of collected waste. The warrant said the baby’s cause of death was being placed in the garbage. Authorities have not publicly released the child’s name.

The investigation produced no publicly identified suspect for several years. A break came in October 2023, when Stamford police received information indicating that the baby could be related to a family from the Danbury and Bethel area. Detectives then spent about two years building a family tree through genealogy research, DNA comparisons and other forensic work.

Investigators eventually identified a man they believed could be the child’s father. During surveillance in November 2025, detectives retrieved a cigarette they saw him discard in Danbury, the warrant said. Laboratory testing confirmed that he was the newborn’s biological father. Police then examined his relationships from 2018 and identified Harrison as one of two women he appeared to have dated that year.

Detectives later followed Harrison and collected a drinking straw she discarded in Brookfield in December 2025, according to the warrant. A state laboratory reported in March 2026 that DNA recovered from the straw was consistent with Harrison being the newborn’s biological parent.

Police first approached Harrison on March 31. The warrant said she initially denied having given birth but later acknowledged a pregnancy that she had hidden from her family and the child’s father. Investigators said she provided several different accounts of the birth and the baby’s condition.

Harrison ultimately told detectives that she delivered the boy at her home on Oct. 12, 2018, according to the warrant. She allegedly said she later left him in a dumpster behind a shopping plaza on Backus Avenue in Danbury. Police said she acknowledged during a later interview that the newborn was still moving when she placed him there.

Prosecutors allege Harrison selected a remote location where the child was unlikely to be found in time to receive help. The contents of the dumpster were later collected, compacted and transported to the Stamford facility, investigators said. The baby’s remains were found four days after the date Harrison allegedly gave police for the birth.

Harrison was arrested June 18 and later appeared in state Superior Court in Danbury. A judge set her bond at $2.5 million. Her attorney, Francisco Cardona, disputed the prosecution’s description of Harrison as a danger to the public and cited her employment, education and connections to the community. He also requested mental health care for her while she remained in custody.

Prosecutors have said information gathered during the investigation could lead to additional inquiries or charges, though they have not publicly provided further details. Harrison remained in custody as the case continued, with her next court appearance scheduled for July 31.

Author note: Last updated July 12, 2026.