DNA evidence recovered from a soda bottle has allegedly linked a Massachusetts woman to the 1985 death of her newborn son, who was discovered in the woods. Dianne Curry Peck, 59, appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. The infant, known as "Baby Boy Doe" of Mansfield, Massachusetts, was found dead in the woods by a father and son who were hunting rabbits.
"Few cases are more heartbreaking than one involving a newborn baby, allegedly abandoned and left to die in the woods by his mother, deprived of the care, love and protection every child deserves," FBI Boston Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks said. "For 41 years, this child was known simply as Baby Boy Doe. He entered this world with limitless promise, but was denied the most basic right to live."
Discovery of the Infant
The newborn’s body was discovered on Jan. 26, 1985. The father and son noticed footprints in the snow and initially mistook the child for a doll before realizing it was a naked infant. An autopsy determined the child was born alive and died a short time later.
"It was naked, lying on its back; the umbilical cord was still attached to the baby," Kenneth Martin, who was a Massachusetts State Police trooper assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office at the time, told reporters. The Mansfield Police Department, with assistance from former New England Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan, funded the baby's funeral. The case remained cold until 2022, when Bristol County investigators reopened it, collaborating with the FBI and state authorities.
Cold Case Investigation
Investigators utilized forensic genetic genealogy to analyze the baby's DNA, which eventually led them to Peck. DNA recovered from a soda bottle collected from her trash allegedly connected her to the child.
At the time of the birth, Peck was a 17-year-old student at Mansfield High School. She reportedly told investigators she gave birth in the back seat of her ex-boyfriend's car and that he said he knew someone who would adopt the infant. Peck stated she believed she had given birth to a girl and never spoke to her ex-boyfriend again. He died in 2020.
Prosecutors noted there is no evidence that anyone, including Peck's ex-boyfriend, knew she was pregnant. Peck told police she gave birth on Jan. 20, 1985, but prosecutors argued in court that the timeline is inconsistent with the condition of the baby’s body and the freezing temperatures at the time. According to a medical examiner, the infant had likely been in the woods for approximately 12 hours before being discovered.