Cathy McKee charged in 47-year-old North Carolina newborn cold case

Nearly 50 years after a newborn was found in a trash bag at a North Carolina landfill, authorities have arrested a woman in one of the region’s oldest unsolved cases.

The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office announced on February 25 that Cathy McKee, 69, of Whiteville, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with felony concealment of the birth of a child. McKee was identified through DNA testing as the infant’s mother.

The investigation began in 1979 after the newborn’s body was discovered in a Columbus County landfill. Despite a thorough investigation, all leads were ultimately exhausted. Still, investigators said the case was “never forgotten.”

Cathy McKee was arrested on February 24, nearly 50 years after a newborn was discovered in a North Carolina landfill. (Columbus County Sheriff’s Office)

“For 47 years, this little girl’s story has been passed down from one generation of investigators to the next,” the sheriff’s department said. “Some of those who first worked on the stage are remembered today; others have since retired, left or died.”

The department said the responsibility felt by the original investigators “has not faded,” calling the case a lasting reminder that the child was worth remembering and his story deserved answers.

Officials noted that although the case predated modern DNA technology, investigators showed “extraordinary care” in preserving the evidence, which ultimately made the arrest possible decades later.

“Their professionalism, compassion and foresight ensured that this little girl was not lost to time,” the ministry said.

PENNSYLVANIA CHURCH GIRL’S MURDER SOLVED AFTER FAMILY CONFESSION HELPS IDENTIFY KILLER

Cathy McKee, 69, was arrested after investigators used modern DNA testing to identify her in connection with a newborn found in a Columbus County landfill in 1979. (Columbus County Sheriff’s Office)

The case was officially reopened more than a year ago and investigators were able to explore new leads thanks to advances in DNA testing, ultimately identifying McKee as the baby’s mother.

Sheriff Bill Rogers said that even after nearly half a century, the child had “never been forgotten.”

“As a father, this case hits us deeply. Every child who enters this world deserves protection, love and the chance to be known,” he said. “For 47 years, this little girl’s life, brief as it was, mattered to the investigators who first held this case in their hands and to all the detectives who examined it afterward. She was never just evidence, never just a report. She was a child and she was never forgotten.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office announced an arrest Feb. 25 in a cold case from 1979 in which a newborn was found dead in a dump. (Columbus County Sheriff’s Office)

McKee was released on $5,000 bail and waived her right to counsel during a court appearance this week.

Related article