Newborn With Umbilical Cord Still Attached Found Dead In Tennessee, Police Offers Reward For Information

Almost two weeks after a newborn baby was found dead in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, police have offered a reward to anyone who helps them in finding out who the baby belongs to.

According to local reports, the baby was found discarded with the umbilical cord still attached along the Melton Lake Greenway on March 26, 2020. The officers named the child Wyatt Doe. A week later, a memorial was set up in his name near the parking lot on Melton Lake by the Oak Ridge Fire Department. Investigators were working to lay the baby to rest and for this, they were seeking public help.

Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith said, “We want to give this newborn a proper burial and we can’t do that until he’s identified, We know he belongs to us, he’s one of our children, so we want to make sure we’re doing our part to identify him. We’re hoping that someone in the community has information that will help us identify Wyatt and figure out who his family is and where he came from.”

Anyone with any information was requested to contact the Oak Ridge Police Department by phone at (865) 425-4399 or by email at PoliceTips@OakRidgeTN.gov. They can also contact the department on Facebook at OakRidgePoliceDepartment or on Twitter at OakRidgePolice. A reward of $1000 is also being offered by the department for any information that leads to the identification of the baby.

"This has been a very difficult investigation, very emotional. We're all parents, have children and grandchildren. Wyatt is one of our children,” Smith said while standing near the memorial.

The incident comes a month after a newborn baby was found abandoned inside a plastic bag near home in Marshville, North Carolina. Officers responded to the home after receiving a report that a newborn child was around. The responding officers heard a baby’s cries and while looking around the home, found the newborn inside a plastic bag near the fence.