Long island woman charged in 1993 murder of newborn daughter

A Long Island woman, Denise Merker, 56, has been formally charged with the decades-old murder of her newborn baby girl. The infant's body was found dumped on the side of a road in Calverton in September 1993.

Police cracked the cold case with dna and genetic genealogy

According to prosecutors, the baby was discovered dead in a garbage bag under a guardrail, her mouth stuffed with paper towels. No one came forward to claim the child. A medical examiner's office determined the baby was full-term and died from homicide by suffocation.

After more than 30 years, the district attorney's cold case task force recently sent DNA samples for genetic genealogy testing. The results revealed the baby was Merker's daughter, leading to her arrest on February 2 on a second-degree murder charge.

Merker told police she was 22 when she hid her pregnancy from everyone and gave birth at her grandmother's house. Prosecutors said the baby was born alive and breathing, but Merker allegedly smothered her with paper towels before abandoning her on the roadside.

Merker pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on April 15. The shocking case has sparked widespread outrage and raises questions about how the tragedy was left unsolved for so long.