Authorities: Woman who left newborn in woods in ’93 charged

CHARDON, Ohio (AP) — Authorities in Ohio say a woman who put her newborn baby boy in a garbage bag and left him in a wooded area in 1993 has been charged with aggravated murder after detectives tracked her down using familial DNA.

Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand announced Thursday at a news conference the arrest of 49-year-old Gail Eastwood-Ritchey, of the Cleveland suburb of Euclid. Hildenbrand adds that Eastwood-Ritchey “admitted to a similar crime two years prior.”

It’s unclear whether Eastwood-Ritchey has an attorney. She was indicted Thursday.

The community paid for a funeral, burial and a headstone marked “Geauga’s Child” where gifts and flowers continue to be placed.

Hildenbrand said detectives used a family tree of 1,400 relatives before finding Eastwood-Ritchey.

The sheriff said Eastwood-Ritchey expressed no remorse when she was arrested.