Police have identified the mother of a girl who was found dead in a cooler in Upper Manhattan more than 20 years ago.
The girl, who came to be known as Baby Hope, was found on July 23, 1991, inside a blue and white cooler in a wooded area near the Dyckman Street exit off the Henry Hudson Parkway. It was later determined that Baby Hope, estimated to be between 3 and 5 years old, was extremely malnourished and had been sexually abused.
Police reopened the cold case this summer, visiting the neighborhood where she was found and offering a $12,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
Police Commissioner Kelly said Tuesday that detectives had confirmed the mother’s identity through DNA tests after they received a tip in July from a woman who said she believed she knew Baby Hope’s sister. The woman told the tipster that she had a sister who was killed 22 years ago.
The mother’s name has not been released by police as the case remains a murder investigation. No one has been charged.