Mother Is Accused of Murder in Cold Case of Newborn Found Dead Off Florida Coast

The mother of a newborn who was found dead off the Florida coast in 2018 is facing a first-degree murder charge after investigators used a genetic genealogy technique to identify her, Palm Beach County authorities announced on Thursday.

“It was four years ago that I stood in front of these same cameras and asked for the public’s support in trying to figure out what happened and who this unidentified child was,” Palm Beach County Special Investigations Unit Captain Steven Strivelli said during a press briefing. “I’m very, very happy to announce that today, we have all those questions answered.”

On June 1, 2018, an off-duty firefighter who was boating discovered a baby girl estimated to be between 4-7 days old  floating on the ocean side of the Boynton Beach Inlet, ABC News reported. Authorities named the newborn “Baby June,” released an artist-rendered image of how the baby would have looked at birth, searched records and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Ultimately, investigators did not find any viable leads, and a cold case squad assumed the case.

But before all hope was lost, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office used investigative genetic genealogy, the same technique used to solve the “Golden Gate Killer” case, to upload the baby’s DNA to FamilyTreeDNA.

Investigators found a likely father, “which they confirmed through DNA testing,” according to the report. The father told investigators his girlfriend at the time had informed him she was pregnant but had “taken care of it,” Detective Brittany Christoffel of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.

“He knew nothing about this baby,” Christoffel said. “He was thinking she perhaps had an abortion.”

Investigators were then able to obtain a “covert DNA sample” from a “piece of garbage” discarded by the father’s former girlfriend, ultimately confirming that she was the infant’s mother. Law enforcement learned through search warrants that Arya Singh, 29, had been at the inlet on May 30, 2018 — two days before the baby was discovered. Investigators also found that Singh had searched for and read news articles pertaining to the discovery of her child. 

The report continues: 

Christoffel said they interviewed the mother, identified as 29-year-old Arya Singh, as well as several friends and family members. Detectives determined no one else knew about the incident and that Singh “was solely responsible for the baby ending up in the Boynton Beach Inlet,” Christoffel said.

Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg said Singh was taken into custody on Thursday and is facing a first-degree murder charge. Singh allegedly told investigators she was unaware of her pregnancy until she gave birth on May 30, 2018, and was “not sure if the baby was dead or alive,” the report states. Christoffel said the baby was deceased by the time she went into the inlet.

The use of investigative genetic genealogy is becoming an increasingly popular practice. The Baby June cold case is believed to be the first use of the technique in Florida, according to the report.

“It’s a whole new world as far as technology is concerned,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. “We had a lot of people at the beginning say, ‘You got nothing, you’ll be lucky if you ever find anybody in this.”’