New details were released after pollen testing offered new details about the 2015 case of a backpack found discarded in unincorporated Wheaton containing the body of a baby girl, officials announced Monday.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office are still looking for the public’s help to identify the girl found by landscapers along Plamondon road on Aug. 15, 2016.
Pollen testing of the backpack and items found within suggests they spent a significant amount of time in an urban area of Northern Illinois, officials said. Testing also indicates that the items possibly originated in the Southwest United States before coming to Illinois, they said.
It was estimated by officials that the child had been dead less than 24 hours when she was found. Authorities identified a medication in the child's blood that treats epileptic seizures or different mood disorders in adults, according to the NCMEC.
"It is believed that the infant’s mother was taking this medication during pregnancy," the NCMEC said. "The level detected was a standard prescribed amount."
The sheriff's department released images of what the baby's parents may look like as they continue to search for her relatives.
The baby, who they have named "Baby Hope," was found by landscapers in an upscale neighborhood along Plamondon Road.
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The sheriff's office says the baby was full term, appears to be white, Hispanic or Asian. The sheriff's office also said a brown toilet lid cover and a brown bath rug were found next to the baby's body.
"We believe no baby deserves to be found in this manner and we are doing everything we can to identify the baby, but we need the public's help," the sheriff's office said in an earlier release.
A woman who would only give her first name, Stella, told NBC 5 she witnessed the gruesome discovery.
"There was a baby, a blanket and a bag," she said.
Stella said some landscapers found the baby on a private drive off of Plamondon Road. Someone saw the bag in the road in the morning, then a few feet away into a wooded area, a discolored, lifeless infant, Stella said.
"You don't do that to a baby," she said.
The baby's parents have yet to be identified, but police hope the images released during the investigation will help someone recognize them.
It's not clear how old the parents might be, but authorities released photos of what they might look like at age 15 and at age 25.
Those who know someone who was recently expecting and lost her baby or a mother who has disappeared should contact the sheriff's office, a news release says.
NCMEC and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office are asking anyone with information to please call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
