'Old-Fashioned Police Work' Solved Mendham's Baby Mary Case: Sheriff

MENDHAM, NJ — Investigators who helped solve the four-decade-old 'Baby Mary' homicide cold case, where a lifeless newborn was found abandoned in 1984 in Mendham Township, were honored in a ceremony on Tuesday.

The body of the abandoned newborn baby was discovered by two boys in the Mendham Township woods on Christmas Eve in 1984. The death of ‘Baby Mary’ was ruled a homicide after the medical examiner determined she was alive at the time of her birth. The infant’s umbilical cord was still attached at the time of her discovery.

The case’s timeline concluded after an investigation found the mother of ‘Baby Mary.’ A
juvenile delinquency complaint was filed against the biological mother, Mary Catherine Crumlich in April of 2023, since she was a juvenile at the time of the infant’s birth. This resulted in her arrest.

In February, Crumlich entered a guilty plea to manslaughter. In April of 2024 Judge Michael P. Wright, imposed a disposition of probation conditioned upon 364 days imprisonment at the Morris County Correctional Facility.

This week, a ceremony was held by Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon.

“Congratulations to the men and women of the Major Crimes Unit, the Mendham Township Police Department, and the MCSO, who brought closure to a heartbroken community and justice for a little girl abandoned four decades ago," said Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll. "I cannot overstate the amount of effort that went into this case. Mendham Township, and the hard-working investigators being honored today, never forgot Baby Mary.”

Sherriff James M. Gannon echoed similar thoughts, saying the case was extremely impactful for those involved.

"It took old-fashioned police work coupled with new, technologically advanced, investigative techniques to adjudicate this matter," said Gannon. "I congratulate everyone who worked this case to, what I categorize is, the best achievable outcome."

The following members were honored for their hard work and dedication to solving the case:

Mendham Township Police Department

• Chief Ross Johnson
• Lieutenant Steven Bittman
• Sergeant Matthew Ambrosi
• Detective James Arnesen

Morris County Prosecutor’s Office

• Deputy Chief Jan- Michael Monrad
• Chief Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn
• Lieutenant (retired) Greg Rossi
• Lieutenant Michael Gomez
• Sergeant Matthew Magnone
• Sergeant Sasha Gould
• Sergeant Steve Gangi
• Detective Supervisor Muhammad Thomas
• Detective Dakota Keyworth
• Detective Melissa Atoche
• Detective Matthew Belcastro
• Detective Gregory Federici

Morris County Sherriff’s Office

• Detective Sergeant Max Englert
• Detective Rosemary Brown
• Detective Andreas Zaharopoulos

New Jersey State Police

• Forensic Scientist Chrissy Schlkner, NJSP Lab

Remembering Baby Mary

The baby's father died in 2009 and officials said there was no indication he knew of her birth and death. Both of Baby Mary's parents were Morris County residents at the time, officials said.

The baby was abandoned in trash bags near a waterfall off Mount Pleasant Road and was later discovered by two boys fishing at Woodland Lake in Dismal Harmony Park at noon on Christmas Eve, 1984.

Her umbilical cord was still attached, and authorities believe the abandoned infant died alone from exposure to the elements and hypothermia.

Following the discovery of baby Mary, the Mendham Township Police Department took custody of her body with the help of Father Mike Drury, a chaplain for the police department.

Drury named the baby girl "Mary," and her body was buried properly at St. Joseph Church cemetery off Route 24, in Mendham Borough, where she remains to this day. Baby Mary is currently resting near another unknown baby, "Hope," a cold case of an abandoned infant found dead near Route 78 on Dec. 18, 1991, who was discovered seven years after Baby Mary was found, police said.

A portrait of Baby Mary still hangs on a plaque commemorating the five-year anniversary of her discovery in current Mendham Township Police Chief Ross Johnson's office.