FBI seeks help in 1986 cold case involving dead infant found in Gloucester County

The FBI Philadelphia on Tuesday asked for the public’s help in solving a cold case from 1986 involving an infant newborn girl whose body was found wrapped in a distinctive beach towel and left in a dumpster in Gloucester County.

One the morning of Dec. 4, 1986, the infant’s body was discovered in a dumpster behind a shopping center on Route 42 at Ganttown Road in Washington Township.

The girl, described as white and weighing approximately 7 pounds with dark hair and brown eyes, was found inside a silver plastic trash bag wrapped in a beach towel with what the FBI said depicted an “African Plains scene.”

An image of the towel shared by the FBI shows a large cheetah between what appear to be Acacia trees.

The Gloucester County website has a page for the “Jane Doe” case and said that when her body was found, the dumpster was located behind what was then called Paisano Pizzeria in the Towne Shopping Center in Turnersville, which is located in Washington Township.

The FBI said the girl’s death was ruled a homicide caused by asphyxiation.

“Though it has been almost 40 years, we are hoping this poster jogs someone’s memory, that someone who might have information comes forward,” Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia, said in a statement.

“This case demonstrates no matter how much time passes, we continue to pursue justice for victims,” Jacobs said.

Anyone with information helpful to the investigation can call the FBI Philadelphia at 215-418-4000 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.