The unidentified baby girl was discovered among recyclable material at a regional waste facility in Utica, New York.
UTICA, N.Y. — Police are trying to identify a baby girl found dead at a regional waste facility and are urging her birth mother to come forward as investigators work to determine where the infant came from and how she died.
The infant was discovered at about 11:40 a.m. Oct. 14 by employees at the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority facility on Sewage Plant Road in Utica. Police said workers found the baby in the facility’s recycling sorting area and stopped operations before contacting authorities. Investigators believe the girl was about 1 to 2 weeks old, but her exact age had not been confirmed.
Utica Police Chief Mark Williams appealed directly to the infant’s birth mother during a news conference Oct. 15. Police emphasized that the mother is not being identified as a suspect and said investigators have not determined that a crime occurred. Authorities said they want to hear from her because she may be able to explain the circumstances that led to the child being found at the facility.
Police Capt. Michael Curley said the department’s Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation. Officers from the Patrol Division, Crime Scene Unit and Criminal Investigations Division responded after the discovery. The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office are also assisting because the waste facility receives material from a broader region.
Investigators face a complicated task in determining where the material containing the infant entered the waste system. Curley said the facility handles waste from several counties, with different collection and delivery schedules. Police are reviewing those routes and schedules as they try to narrow down where the infant may have come from before reaching the Utica sorting facility.
Authorities said the baby was found while recyclable material was moving through the plant’s sorting process. Workers stopped operations after recognizing that they had found an infant. Police have not released additional details about the condition in which the child was discovered, citing the ongoing investigation and the need to preserve evidence.
The infant’s identity and cause of death remained unknown in the initial stages of the investigation. Curley said an autopsy was being conducted through the medical examiner’s office. Investigators have not publicly said whether the girl was alive when she entered the waste stream or where she had been before reaching the facility.
Oneida County District Attorney Todd Carville joined police officials at the news conference but declined to discuss whether criminal charges could eventually result from the investigation. Authorities said it was too early to make conclusions about criminal responsibility because several basic facts, including the child’s identity and cause of death, had not yet been established.
Williams said investigators want the infant to be identified so she can receive a proper burial. Police also said officers involved in the case are being offered counseling because of the nature of the discovery. Investigators continued asking for information that could help identify the baby, locate her mother or establish how she reached the waste facility.
The investigation remained active as of Oct. 17. Police had not announced the infant’s identity, identified her mother or released a confirmed cause of death, and officials said the circumstances surrounding the child’s death remained undetermined.
Author note: Last updated October 17, 2026.