NJ's Abandoned 'Baby Mary's' Parents Identified After 39 Years

MENDHAM, NJ — Authorities on Thursday revealed new details in the case of "Baby Mary," identifying the parents of the lifeless newborn who was discovered abandoned on Christmas Eve in 1984 in Mendham Township.

While the baby’s father died in 2009, the mother was charged in April with one count of manslaughter, authorities said.

Since she was 17 years old in 1984, her identity has not been released, but authorities noted she had been living in South Carolina and is “being monitored.” If found guilty, she could face up to three years in prison.

According to Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, the link was made with the help of DNA technology, which led to the initial identification of the father and the eventual identification of the mother.

"The arrest is a culmination of decades of effort across multiple generations of law enforcement," Carroll said. "Mendham Township never forgot Baby Mary, and neither did Morris County Law Enforcement. Over the next nearly four decades, investigators have vigorously pursued every lead to identify Baby Mary."

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 that day.

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.

"She was a perfect, perfect child," Drury previously told Patch. "Someone was fearful to have a child. All she had to do was drop her off somewhere. It was very disturbing."

Because of the location where the body was found, retired police chief Tom Costanza previously told Patch that the mother, or whoever left Baby Mary near that river, had to be familiar with the area.

Carroll verified on Thursday that both parents were Morris County residents at the time of Baby Mary's birth and that the mother was attending school in the area at the time.

Baby Mary's Legacy

Every town has a story that brings neighbors from different generations together and unites the entire community. That is the story of Baby Mary in Mendham Township. A portrait of Baby Mary still hangs on a plaque commemorating the five-year anniversary of her discovery in Mendham Township Police Chief Ross Johnson's office.

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.

Baby Mary's grave is also the site of an annual Christmas Eve memorial service attended by Mendham Township Police Department officers and members of the public.

"Today we are finally able to bring closure to this case and to the community that has supported her and will continue to support her," Johnson said.