Police crack San Bruno baby homicide cold case

(KRON) — The San Bruno Police Department said it made a “significant development” in a decades-old cold case homicide involving an infant who was found abandoned and deceased in Buckeye Park in 1981.

The killer had used a sock to strangle the newborn boy, police said, and the body found in a garbage can at the park.

The newborn had only been deceased for a few hours when he was found on November 11, 1981, police said. Detectives suspected that the victim was placed into the garbage can sometime between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Reddish-brown human hair and black dog hair was found on the sock, police said. Without the baby’s name, investigators struggled to determine who was responsible for the homicide.

The case went cold for 44 years.

Using advanced forensic genetic genealogy technology, San Bruno Police Department investigators and specialized DNA laboratories were recently able to identify the infant’s parents, police announced Tuesday.

“While the police department knows the identity of both parents, their names are not being released at this time. This identification represents a major step forward in the case and has renewed efforts to bring this case to justice,” SBPD wrote Tuesday.

Detectives are now seeking the public’s assistance as the investigation continues.

Anyone with information about this case, or events occurring at Buckeye Park in November of 1981, is urged to contact the San Bruno PD.

Information can be provided by calling SBPD at 650-616-7100 or by emailing sbpdtipline@sanbruno.ca.gov. Information can be left anonymously.