Police on Thursday released more details about the investigation into the body of an infant found in a sorting area at the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority facility in Utica, Oneida County.
Deceased infant found at Utica waste facility
Utica police officers were called to the Waste Authority’s Eastern Transfer Station, at 824 Sewage Road, around 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, after facility staff reported finding an infant girl in the sorting area, police said.
Workers who discovered the infant “immediately halted operations” and contacted law enforcement, according to a police news release.
The sorting area is where workers inspect waste “to first ensure that no dangerous or hazardous materials are received,” according to the facility’s website. Once cleared, the waste is transported
to the regional landfill in the town of Ava, Oneida County, about 30 miles north of Utica.
How did the infant end up in the trash?
That remains unclear.
The investigation is in its preliminary stages. Police have not yet determined the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death, the child’s identity or how she came to be at the facility.
The Utica Police Department is leading the investigation, with assistance from the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Because the facility serves multiple counties in the Mohawk Valley, investigators initially did not know where the child’s remains entered the waste stream or how they reached the sorting facility, police said.
Police seek help
Anyone who witnessed suspicious activity or unusual circumstances, or who has information that could help investigators identify the infant or determine how she came to be at the facility, is asked to contact the Utica Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at (315) 223-3556.
Tips can also be submitted through Mohawk Valley CrimeStoppers by calling 1-866-730-8477 (TIPS) or using the P3 Tips mobile app.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: New details released after infant's body found at NY waste facility
