Baby found dead in airport restroom nearly 20 years ago, cops say. Now, mom arrested

A cold case involving a baby found dead in a Sky Harbor International Airport restroom in 2005 has led to an arrest in Washington, Arizona police reported.

Annie Anderson, 51, faces a charge of homicide in her baby’s death, Lt. James Hester of the Phoenix Police Department said during a Tuesday, Feb. 20, news briefing shown on Facebook.

The newborn girl, dubbed Baby Skylar, was found dead Oct. 10, 2005, in an airport restroom, Hester said. The baby was found with newspapers and a white towel inside a plastic bag with hotel markings.

Evidence suggested the baby died elsewhere and was abandoned in the restroom, Hester said.

The medical examiner’s office determined the baby was born alive but died of suffocation.

“Detectives passionately worked the case,” Hester said, but none of their leads, including DNA tests, resulted in an arrest.

In 2020, a violent crimes task force involving other agencies and the FBI took up the cold case.

Using genetic genealogy, the task force matched the baby’s DNA to a family member, who provided a DNA sample that led investigators to Anderson, Hester said.

Anderson identified herself as the baby’s mother and gave police a statement about her death, Hester said, but police declined to share further details. She was arrested in Washington and faces extradition to Arizona.

She visited Phoenix in 2005 for a real estate boot camp, Hester said. Police do not believe the baby’s father had any involvement in her death.

“Cold case homicides are challenging,” Hester said, praising the work of detectives over the years, including those who retired and passed it on to the next generation of investigators.

This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Baby found dead in airport restroom nearly 20 years ago, cops say. Now, mom arrested."