According to the Daily Mail, the infant, believed to be between 36 and 42 weeks gestational age, tragically passed away from asphyxiation – a loss the state asserts could have been prevented with timely medical intervention.

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The event sparked a community’s grief and left investigators with no leads but thanks to advancements in DNA technology and a relentless pursuit of justice, the heartbreaking case has finally been solved.

Cracking the case with family trees.

Using genetic genealogy, investigators traced the infant’s DNA to her biological parents, connecting dots across a web of ancestry databases. This innovative method, which has revolutionized cold case investigations, helped identify the mother.

Cracking the case was accomplished after Jenna Rose Gerwatowski, 23, took an at-home DNA test to find out about her ancestry roots. Gerwatowski went on TikTok to explain how it all unfolded saying that about a year after taking the test, she received a call from the Michigan State police and they told her that she was a “direct match” to the infant, who was her aunt.

Investigation and discovery.

The police did more investigating and tested Jenna’s mother’s DNA. They discovered that Nancy Gerwatowski, Jenna’s maternal grandmother who she has never met, was the mother of the abandoned baby.

Nancy Gerwatowski, now 61, was arrested in July of 2022 after confessing that she was the child’s mother. She was charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter and concealing the death of an individual. She had delivered the newborn at home on her own and the state alleges that she did not seek any medical intervention to save the child. Instead, they say she hid the dead infant in an outhouse at the campground approximately 20 miles out of town. A worker found the child.

Gerwatowski was released and put under home confinement in October of 2023. She now resides in Wyoming. In May 2023,  of this year, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said that Gerwatowski would stand trial for her crime. Nessel said, “Thanks to the incredible efforts of investigators across three decades, we are finally able to pursue justice for Baby Garnet more than 25 years after her tragic death.”

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In addition, Gerwatowski is expected to appear in front of the 11th Circuit Court in Mackinac County on December 12th for a motion hearing, according to court records obtained by the media.