Massachusetts Woman Charged in 1985 Newborn Death Case

Recent DNA evidence from a soda bottle has linked Dianne Curry Peck to the 1985 death of her newborn son, found deceased in the woods of Massachusetts. This week, Peck, now 59, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to a murder charge related to the case of her son, known as ‘Baby Boy Doe.’

At a press conference, FBI Boston Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks stated, ‘Few cases are more heartbreaking than one involving a newborn baby, allegedly abandoned and left to die in the woods by his mother, deprived of the care, love, and protection every child deserves. For 41 years, this child was known simply as Baby Boy Doe. He entered this world with limitless promise, but was denied the most basic right to live.’

The newborn’s body was discovered on January 26, 1985, by a father and son hunting in the area. Initially mistaking him for a doll, the pair found a naked infant on the ground with an attached umbilical cord. The autopsy revealed the child was born alive but died shortly thereafter.

‘It was naked, lying on its back; the umbilical cord was still attached to the baby,’ described Kenneth Martin, a former Massachusetts State Police trooper who was assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office at the time.

The Mansfield Police and former New England Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan covered the costs for the baby’s funeral. The case remained unsolved until 2022 when Bristol County investigators, in cooperation with the FBI and state authorities, reopened it.

Using forensic genetic genealogy, investigators traced the baby’s DNA to Peck. DNA from a soda bottle in her trash linked her to the child.

Back in 1985, Peck, then a 17-year-old student at Mansfield High School, reportedly mentioned giving birth in the back of her ex-boyfriend’s car. She claimed she gave the infant to him, who purportedly knew someone interested in adoption. Peck believed she had given birth to a girl and allegedly never contacted her ex-boyfriend again. He died in 2020.

Prosecutors highlighted the absence of evidence indicating that anyone, including Peck’s ex-boyfriend, was aware of her pregnancy. Discrepancies exist in Peck’s recollection of the birth date compared to the condition of the baby and environmental temperatures.

The medical examiner suggested the infant had likely been in the woods for about 12 hours before discovery.

Fox News Digital has sought comments from the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and Peck’s attorney.