"Baby Boy Aug 1980"Unidentified Male Infant
Found August 6, 1980 in Plymouth Township, Luzerne County
Case Details
On Wednesday, August 6, 1980, at around 2:40 pm, a bulldoze operator at the West End Landfill in Larksville was spreading garbage when he saw what he thought was a doll in the mounds of trash. He stopped the bulldozer and took a closer look. What he thought was a doll turned out to be the body of a baby.
An autopsy determined that the male child had been born alive. He had lived for 24 to 72 hours after his birth. His death was "due to acts of omission in that the infant was not provided proper care at birth". Manner of death was ruled "a homicide by acts of omission" according to Coroner's records.
Based on the content of the trash in the area where the boy's body was found, it is possible that he came from Kingston, Larksville, Courtdale, Wilkes-Barre, Wyoming or the Berwick area.
Former Luzerne County deputy coroner Andrew Strish kept the child's remains for almost two weeks at his funeral parlor, hoping that someone would come forward. When no one did, Mr Strish provided the funeral. The baby was buried on August 18, 1980 in St. Anthony of Padua's Cemetery. His gravesite is in a remote area, away from the other graves. The marker on the grave reads: "Baby Boy Aug. 1980".
If you have any information about this case, please contact:
Pennsylvania State Police
Troop P - Wyoming
570-697-2000SourcesNewsLibrary.comThe Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre)
