Newborn found dead in recycling center a decade ago, Oregon cops say. Now man arrested
.jpg "A little more than a decade after a newborn baby was found dead in an Oregon recycling center, she’s been identified and an arrest has been made in connection with her killing, police say.")
A little more than a decade after a newborn baby was found dead in an Oregon recycling center, she’s been identified and an arrest has been made in connection with her killing, police say.
“Baby Precious” was found dead in a Portland recycling center on May 28, 2013, the Portland Police Bureau said in a Sept. 21 news release. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Despite years of investigation, police said there were no leads, and the case went cold.
In 2019, police said they partnered with Bode Technology, a private forensics laboratory, to examine the case using forensic genetic genealogy.
Genetic genealogy uses DNA testing coupled with “traditional genealogical methods” to create “family history profiles,” according to the Library of Congress. With genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine if and how people are biologically related.
Though there were no immediate leads, two years later, police said the company found a family connection.
However, “the submission was anonymous,” police said.
From there, it took more than a year of investigation to identify Baby Precious’ parents and locate a suspect, the baby’s father, police said.
After a grand jury indicted Alnath Omar Oliver, 53, on a number of counts, including second-degree manslaughter, criminal mistreatment, third-degree rape and concealing the birth of an infant, he was arrested on Sept. 21, police said.
In addition to identifying a suspect, police said they were able to learn the baby’s name — Amara.
“While we continue to mourn the death of baby Amara, we hope this significant announcement helps our community with the healing process from this tragedy,” Police Chief Chuck Lovell said in the release.
This story was originally published September 21, 2023 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Newborn found dead in recycling center a decade ago, Oregon cops say. Now man arrested."
