Police believe they have finally solved the heartbreaking cold case of “Baby Moses”, nearly three decades after the tiny victim was found abandoned in a park flower bed.
Keri Mazzuca, now 52, was arrested Saturday and charged with murdering her newborn son before ruthlessly dumping his body in Albany’s Washington Park 27 years ago in 1997, according to The Daily Gazette.
The baby was not even 12 hours old when he was discovered by horrified park workers on a late summer morning that would haunt the city for decades.
Workers planting flowers came across a horrific scene: a partially charred blue pillowcase with burnt matches scattered on top.
When they pushed the lump with a shovel, they discovered the lifeless body of a newborn baby.
Keri Mazzuca, now 52, was arrested Saturday, accused of murdering her newborn son and ruthlessly dumping his body in Albany’s Washington Park in 1997.
The baby, less than 12 hours old, was discovered by horrified park workers on a late summer morning that would haunt the city for decades.
The shocking discovery sparked a search that would last nearly three decades.
As the leads went cold, the city of Albany refused to let “Baby Moses” fall into oblivion.
They even “adopted” the baby and named him Moses Washington after the statue in the park near where he was found.
The little victim was buried in a white coffin at Graceland Cemetery.
His grave was marked by a headstone topped with a marble lamb.
The epitaph reads: “Citizen of Albany, child of God.”
But justice was never served for baby Moses… until now.
FBI investigators identified one of the baby’s relatives a few years ago after analyzing the victim’s DNA.
City detectives worked with the New York State Police, the FBI and the Albany County District Attorney’s Office to identify and arrest the baby’s mother.
This genetic evidence led researchers to Mazzuca’s door.
At the time of Moses’ death, she lived just five blocks from the park.
DNA from trash outside Mazzuca’s current home in Guilderland then confirmed that the woman inside was Baby Moses’ biological mother, police said.
The little victim was buried in a white coffin at Graceland Cemetery.
His grave was marked by a headstone topped with a marble lamb. The epitaph reads: “Citizen of Albany, Child of God.”
Mazzuca is now behind bars in the Albany County Jail, charged with second-degree murder, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence.
Just three years after baby Moses’ death, New York enacted the Abandoned Infant Protection Act.
This law allows parents to anonymously hand over their babies 30 days old or younger without having to face legal proceedings.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan issued a statement recalling the unified “shock and disbelief” felt throughout the community at the time of the killing.
“I remember the shock and disbelief felt throughout Albany when the body of ‘baby Moses’ was discovered,” Sheehan wrote.
“I want to commend the hard-working members of law enforcement, particularly within the Albany Police Department, who never gave up on seeking justice in this case. Closing this 27-year-old homicide once again demonstrates the incredible dedication of the men and women of APD under the leadership of Chief Hawkins.”
Mazzuca pleaded not guilty in Albany County Court and is being held without bail. She is due back in court on Oct. 25.
One of the original detectives on the case, Police Sergeant Steven Riley, said: News 13 who for 27 years wanted to have a conversation with the suspect to understand what led her to that point.
“I am not a judge of anyone. I am not their judge,” he said.
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