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2 Dead Newborns Found In Philadelphia: 2 Dead Babies Found In Philadelphia Were Preserved, Health Official Says

By Heather Tooley
Published on: 05:43 PST, Nov 16, 2015

Two dead newborns found in a vacant car lot in North Philadelphia had investigators puzzled since homicide wasn’t suspected in their deaths.

According to NBC 10 Philadelphia, the two dead babies found by a 9-year-old boy and another child while outside showed signs of being dumped after undergoing an autopsy. The infants — a boy and girl — appeared to have originated from a hospital or school facility.

Health department spokesman Jeff Moran said that the dead babies’ bodies had likely been preserved in formaldehyde. He said it’s unknown at this time who preserved them.

Investigators noted on Sunday that the two dead newborns in Philadelphia had cuts on their bodies, which indicated they had autopsies performed on them.

The dead babies’ bodies were found in a grassy used car lot where garbage was laying around on Mutter Street near Montgomery Avenue. Nine-year-old Kasime Crawford and another child found the infants’ bodies Saturday when they thought they were toys.

“Both of their faces were blue,” Crawford said. “There’s a doll baby. That’s when it started stinking and that’s when we checked and there was a baby. I went home and told my dad.”

Authorities have no suspects in the investigation. The only details released so far is that law enforcement is searching for a black pickup truck that was seen dumping trash in the area where the infants were found. Detectives searching the neighborhood since Sunday are seeking surveillance video footage.

A medical examiner concluded that the dead newborns’ bodies had undergone autopsies prior to their discovery. A number of unanswered questions remain in the probe. It’s unclear who dropped off the bodies and how long they were in the lot before they were found.

Kasmine’s father, Ronnie Jackson, is distraught at the discovery.

“You shouldn’t throw little kids away,” he said. “You could’ve left them in the hospital, gave them to a charity, gave them to the fire department or knocked on my door and gave them to me.”

Philly.com reports that the two dead babies in Philadelphia were found at around 10:45 a.m. on Sunday at the 1800 block of North Palethorp Street in Kensington.

Kensington police spokeswoman Officer Tanya Little said it’s sad that the infants weren’t “properly put to rest.”

“I don’t know who would do that to these babies, or why,” Little said. “But I know it’s sad that these babies weren’t properly put to rest.”

Jackson said he and his son noticed that the bodies were blue and had deep lacerations on their stomachs and heads. Both appeared to be a day or so old. Jackson said one baby was bigger than the other, and their umbilical cords were still attached. A lieutenant at the scene said that the babies looked as though they’d just been born. An exact age of the infants hasn’t been released.

Although finding surveillance video of how the dead newborns were dumped in Philadelphia seems like a shot in the dark, a security camera is mounted yards from where the corpses were discovered. It’s on a building that runs along one side of the alley near the vacant lot. Little said it’s unclear if the camera was rolling at the time in question.

Investigators were seen entering and exiting the building several times on Sunday.

At this point, no foul play is suspected in the case of the two dead babies. The individual who left the bodies could be charged with abusing a corpse, Little said.

It’s unclear as well what race the dead infants are. Lt. Juan Perez explains that they just want “to make sure the integrity of the investigation is protected” and “make sure that these children are properly treated with the appropriate respect.”

Police are currently calling two dead newborns found in Philadelphia, John Doe and Jane Doe.

[Image via CBS Philadelphia video screenshot]

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