DNA Match Lead to Louisiana Couple's Arrest for Death of Newborn in 1992

Louisiana couple was nabbed after they were identified via a DNA match for the death of a newborn. A newly born child was found lifeless in the trash behind a Mississippi Resto in Picayune.

DNA match catches Louisiana couple after many years

Police charged Andrew K Carriere II and Inga Johansen Carriere, 50, for murder in the first degree regarding a cold case in 1992 after advanced DNA technology pointed to them as the natural parents. A report by a farmer on April 15, 1992, found a dead infant in a dumpster. He was looking for leftovers for his animals, as reported by Meaww.

Based on the details, the dead infant had been covered in a towel and placed in a trash bag along with bits of trash. Hayward Fleming, a farmer who made the gruesome discovery, stated that he moved the towel and thought it was a doll, WWL-TV reported. He checked further and noticed it was real human flesh just touched. It made him retch and leave in his truck to call the police.

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office examined the infant's corpse and got a shocking conclusion about the cause of death. The finding was that it was three weeks premature and alive for a few minutes before the girl's newborn was smothered by her parents.

Officials say the cause of death is perinatal asphyxia via getting smothered and determined the parents are guilty of homicide. But the detectives could not charge anyone, and it became a cold case. In 2021, a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation operative helped with forensic genetic testing funding to get proof, cited Fero News.

DNA Technology Solves 30-Year-Old Cold Case

Using the technology to determine who the parents were that led to pinpointing the Carrieres. The couple was in Louisiana when the body of the infant was found. DNA tech was able to get profiling and fingerprints taken from evidence captured from 1992. It was later used to determine Andrew and Inga Johansen positively as the dead infant's parents, stated the police. The next step is acquiring arrest warrants to arrest the murder suspects individually. Inga was apprehended on February 28 in her home in Avondale.

While Carriere got caught in Galliano on March 9, both in Louisiana, they were taken to Jefferson Parish Correctional Center, held with no bond, and will be sent to Mississippi by the police. Detectives think they killed the newborn girl in Louisiana and went over state borders to get rid of their infant daughter's remains. One question is if a federal case is waiting for the Carrieres.

Louisiana Couple Claimed the Child Was Stillborn

Inga's counsel Paul Fleming a veteran Jefferson Parish public defender, said that she thought it was stillborn to prevent any charges. He added that it is not a newborn or baby, even an infant, that would not constitute murder, mentioned WDSU.

The counsel claimed his office was doing its backcheck to defend its client and claimed she was not involved 30 years ago. But the Picayune police chief at that time, Freddy Drennan, wants closure for the case after all these years. A Louisiana couple tried to get away with the death of a newborn daughter by dumping her someplace, but a DNA match shows the truth.