Newborn Girl Found Buried In Cemetery’s Flower Pot, Umbilical Cord Still Attached

A cemetery worker in Carrollton, Texas, discovered the body of a newborn girl in a flower pot, local police said Wednesday.

"Information from the reporting caretaker indicates the flowerpot was placed in the Perry Cemetery sometime between Wednesday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, March 2," Carrollton police spokeswoman Jolene DeVito said in a news release on their Facebook page. “It would seem that whoever placed the baby’s body there also put the flowers, we just don’t know at this point, which is why we’re appealing to the public, anyone who knows anything that can point us on the direction, we want to hear from you.” The out-of-place flower pot was discovered by the worker on March 11.

The remains were sent to the Dallas County Medical Examiner for analysis. It was later determined that the newborn was a girl who weighed just under six pounds and still had her umbilical cord attached to the body when she was buried. She appeared to have born within six weeks of her due date, although the investigators were unable to determine whether the infant was alive at birth.

“Her race could not definitively be determined,” the police added. “We are awaiting further test results to determine whether she was born alive.”

DeVito said the department was focusing its energies on identifying the baby and ensuring that she had a proper burial. “If you have any information that may help propel our investigation, please contact Detective Jennifer Cackler immediately at (972) 466-3324, or by email at Jennifer.Cackler@CityOfCarrollton.com,” the news release concluded.

Social media users who came across the news release offered their prayers and condolences.

“Dear God, help the authorities to identify the baby so she will be given a proper burial. I pray the mother receives the help she needs. I pray that you soften some of the hearts on this thread. Whatever the outcome, we know you are able to handle it. Amen,” one user commented, while another wrote, “I sure hope they can identify this sweet little baby. I can’t even imagine what a mother must be going through to do this to their child! Makes me sad.”

In November, the license of the Cantrell Funeral Home in Michigan was suspended after they discovered the bodies of 10 fetuses and an infant hidden inside the facility. The remains were discovered in a decomposed state between the first and second floors of the funeral home. While the fetuses were found inside a cardboard-like box, the infant was stuffed away in a coffin. “They were definitely hidden,” Police Chief James Craig said. “The way they were placed in ceiling, one would not have readily discovered them. In 41½ years in policing, this is first time I’ve heard of anything like this.”

The Wayne County medical examiner’s office said the task of determining the identities of the victims, which could eventually lead them to the families associated with them, was proving difficult. “We have very little to go on (without) cooperation from the funeral home owners. Everything is under investigation,” spokeswoman Lisa Croff said.