An Ohio woman was arrested Thursday for the murder of her newborn son, whose partially-dismembered body was reportedly discovered in a wooded area in 1993.
Gail Eastwood-Ritchey, 49, allegedly admitted that she gave birth to the boy and left him in a trash bag she abandoned in Geauga County, where animals dismembered the corpse and dragged it into the street. Two weeks earlier, authorities had obtained a search warrant for Eastwood-Ritchey’s DNA, according to Cleveland.com.
Investigators reportedly used cutting-edge DNA technology to identify possible relatives of the newborn, known for decades as the “Geauga Child.” The family tree, consisting of 1,400 people, was narrowed down by accessing an online database containing voluntarily-submitted DNA samples, the news outlet reported.
WEWS reported that Eastwood-Ritchey hid her pregnancy from everyone, including the baby’s father, who she’s currently married to. The pair reportedly have three adult children.
Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildebrand revealed that Eastwood-Ritchey admitted to committing a similar act two years before the death of the Geauga Child. Hildebrand said Eastwood-Ritchey had given birth to another child and also discarded them in a bag. The News-Herald reported that Euclid authorities are investigating that case.
Eastwood-Ritchey pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and murder charges during a Monday morning court appearance. Her bond was set at $250,000.
[Featured Image: Gail Eastwood-Ritchey/Facebook]
