"Person of Interest" in Dead Child Found In Maine

This is a heartbreaking case which may now show a caring public the answer it seeks: the identity of the child. Police expect DNA results in by today, but with a person of interest found, we may learn the why's that we have all sought.


As many readers here expected due to the inclusion of a blanket found with the dead child, police are now questioning a "person of interest" in connection with the boy found dead in an offroad rural area in Maine.

We will continually update as information becomes availble, paying close attention to statements released. The woman is now in "protective custody" which may indicate mental health concerns.


State Police question person in connection with dead boy found in Maine
CONCORD -- Massachusetts and Maine State Police investigators are questioning a woman in connection with the discovery of a dead boy on a secluded road in Maine on Saturday, a possible break in a case that had mystified investigators and made headlines nationally.

Massachusetts State Police took the woman into protective custody in the late morning at a rest stop on Interstate 495 southbound in Chelmsford, said spokesman David Procopio. The woman, who is considered a "person of interest" in the case, is being questioned by investigators at the agency's Concord barracks, he said.

The State Police have also seized her vehicle, which is being examined at a State Police facility in Danvers, Procopio said.

Maine State Police Lieutenant Brian McDonough said in a brief statement to the media this afternoon that investigators have “new information that we are following up on,” but he offered no further details and would not confirm the information from the Massachusetts State Police. He referred all further questions to the Maine attorney general’s office.

Procopio said troopers at the rest stop spotted a vehicle matching the description of a pickup truck seen near the location where the boy's body was discovered. They took the woman into custody without incident.

"She's not charged with anything," Procopio said. He would not release any details on the woman's possible relationship to the child.

The blanket-covered body of the boy was discovered in a remote, wooded section of the small town of South Berwick, Maine. Maine State Police said Tuesday afternoon that they had been stymied in their attempts to identify the boy, who was estimated to be 4 to 6 years old.

Maine authorities also said Tuesday they had asked the military to join the investigation. A witness had reported that a dark blue Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was seen on the road where the boy’s body. Authorities revealed Tuesday that the witness had told them that there was “some type of naval insignia” embossed on or near the license plate, the Globe reported this morning. It wasn’t immediately clear if the person being questioned had any military ties.

The witness also told police that the driver of the truck was a woman.

Maine State Police said Tuesday they had asked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to assist the 17 detectives from Maine and New Hampshire who were sifting through more than 200 leads in the case. They also said DNA tests were being made, tire and foot impressions had been taken from the site, and surveillance videos from stores and highways in the area were being reviewed.

Authorities said they had also contacted Canadian officials, as well as Interpol and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to disseminate information about the case. They also used Facebook and the media to reach out to the public