VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The investigation into a cold case heated up last summer in Valley City.

In April of 1981, Valley City police officers responded to a call of a deceased newborn female baby left in the underbrush.

Investigators revealed the newborn child died from asphyxia after a live birth. No suspect was arrested. The infant was named Baby Rebecca, and buried in a local cemetery.

Police Chief Phil Hatcher said with advancements in DNA technology, law enforcement and the Barnes County State’s Attorney’s Office made a decision to continue the investigation.

In July of 2019, the Valley City Police Department exhumed Baby Rebecca and sent her body to a lab for further DNA testing to determine her parental origins.

Last week, Hatcher said we are working with a lab in another state to get results. He said we are hoping to receive some news in the near future. Hatcher said, “It is hoped that this new information will help bring closure and justice to this 39 year old unsolved case.”