The Weld County Sheriff’s Office Investigation Unit is asking for help from the communities to identify a baby John Doe found deceased in 2002 outside of L & M Auto Repair in Brighton, according to a press release.
The case is one of four unsolved cases. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is also helping with three of the cases. This year, the Weld County Sheriff’s office is partnering with Othram Inc. from Woodlands, Texas, which specializes in forensic DNA evidence, to identify baby John Doe and living relatives by extraction and analysis. Othram Inc. and is also the world’s first private DNA laboratory, according to officials.
“It is essential to address what the National Institute of Justice calls the ‘silent mass disaster’ of the tens of thousands of unidentified persons in our country,” said Othram CEO David Mittelman. “However, many of these cases do not have sufficient funding support, and it is an honor to be able to financially assist some of these investigations through our DNASolves platform.”
According to officials, employees of L & M Auto Repair arrived to start work in September 2002 when a staff member the body under a bush. Only one clue found. The baby was wrapped in a blue blanket with the graphic “Skate Bear.”
The investigator guessed the ancestry could be white, Latino, or Italian with dark hair, weighing about 7 pounds. The child was 21 inches long at the time of his death. According to the pathologist, the baby was born healthy between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. but was unable to determine the cause of death.
Othram started a genealogical profile for the baby at a cost of $5,000 for DNA testing and genealogical research. The Weld County Sheriffs Office contributed a portion of the cost but needs help to raise funds for its remaining case work cost. A DNASoves.com crowdfunding account has been established to raise funds to fund the case.
To donate, visit DNASolves.com/articles/weld_baby_doe. Any persons with information about baby John Doe contact cold case Detective Byron Kastilahn at 970-356-4015 and reference case number WC02-4535. The case is logged under NamUs as UP10386.