Nancy Jean Trottier, 65, was arrested last week in Estados Unidos. The woman, who lives in Arizona, faces charges of aggravated homicide in the death of a newborn in 1981. The baby’s body was found inside a plastic bag with the umbilical cord still attached in a wooded area on the campus of Valley City State College, on Dakota of Norte. The autopsy showed that the child was born alive and died of asphyxiation. The case went unsolved for almost 45 years.
DNA tests carried out after the exhumation of the body in 2019 allowed the mother to be identified. Nancy Jean Trottier studied at the university between 1978 and 1982. In October 2021, during interrogation, she said phrases such as “maybe it was me”. Amostras of her and her husband’s DNA were compared with material from the crime scene. The results confirmed paternity with high probability.
Advancing DNA research
In August 2020, a genetic genealogy report identified possible relatives. Análises tests at the state crime lab, completed in June 2023, indicated that it was 3.481 quadrillion times more likely that the baby was the couple’s daughter than that of any other unrelated person. DNA matching the profile of Trottier also appeared on toilet paper collected in 1981.
- Baby’s body found in April 1981
- Exhumation carried out in July 2019
- Interrogation with suspicion in October 2021
- DNA results came out in June 2023
- Formal accusation filed in April 2026
Accusation and next steps
Barnes County Authorities indicted Nancy Jean Trottier for the aggravated murder of Classe AA. Essa is the most serious classification in Dakota of Norte and can lead to life in prison without parole. Ela was arrested on Maricopa County, on Arizona, and extradited. The first hearing took place on Monday. The next stage is scheduled for May 21, 2026.
Nancy Jean Trottier remains in custody at Stutsman County Correctional Center. The case demonstrates how advances in genetic technology help resolve long-standing investigations. Authorities did not release further details about the context at the time of the crime.