United States: A North Carolina couple has been charged with murder after the remains of their newborn baby were found in their backyard.
The 28-year-old-Dustin Vandyke and Gracie Riddle-18-year-old were both charged with killing the infant the previous year. The police officials mentioned in the statement that they believe the baby has been dead since Thanksgiving of 2021.
The investigation started last Friday around 9 p.m. after police received a report that the baby of the couple had died, but it had never been reported.
The authorities brought cadaver dogs and searched the property of the couple in Erwin, North Carolina, approximately 20 miles outside Fayetteville. They made the discovery on Saturday.
The Erwin Police Department mentioned in the statement, “With the assistance of Harnett County Sheriff’s Department’s cadaver canine, investigators discovered a deceased and badly decomposed infant buried behind the residence.”
Along with this, the police did not publicly name the tipster but said that they likely knew about the death of the baby for several months.
The Erwin Chief of Police Jonathan Johnson shared the information that I think this person finally got to the point where their conscience got to [them]. They made the decision that they required to talk about it and tell someone, and that’s how we initially got the report.”
As per the sources, the police officials were not able to identify the sex of the child.
The office of the Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy this current week to determine the cause of the death of the baby. The authorities did not share any motive in the case.
The sources made the confirmation that Vandyke and Riddle have each been charged with one count of first-degree murder.
Also, they are being held without bond. They have not yet entered a plea, as well as court records do not reflect an attorney authorized to speak on their behalf.
