By David Lohr
November 5, 2007
GALVESTON COUNTY, TX. (Crime Library) — Texas EquuSearch and the Galveston County Sheriff's Department are asking for the public's help in identifying the remains of a young girl discovered inside a plastic utility box that washed ashore on Galveston Bay last week.
"We think she was placed on an island called Deer Island, which is about three miles out in Galveston Bay," Texas EquuSearch Case Manager Cindy Wisdom said in an interview with Crime Library yesterday. "She was in a plastic container. There was no water in it, only sand and grass."
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| Police Sketch "Baby Grace" |
According to a ruling made by the county Medical Examiner, the child, which the media has since dubbed "Baby Grace," had been dead for at least two weeks prior to her discovery. A forensic dental examination has narrowed her age to between 2 and 3 years. She is described as white, 32 to 34 inches tall and 25 to 30 pounds. She had waist-long, wavy blond or light brown hair. She was wearing a Target-brand pink, flowing skirt, a matching pink shirt and size 8.5, white, light-up tennis shoes with purple flowers on them. A cause of death has not been determined, but her autopsy did reveal a skull fracture, prompting authorities to label the case a homicide.
"We do not believe she is from our area, because no one local has reported a missing child matching this description," Cindy said. "She could be from anywhere in the world. There are ships that pass through here, so she could be from anywhere."
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| Madeleine McCann |
Due to the girl's description, Interpol, the FBI and Portuguese detectives investigated the possibility that the girl could have been Madeleine McCann, but police have since ruled out that possibility.
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| Police Sketch "Baby Grace" |
"We're confident it's not her [Madeleine]," Major Ray Tuttoilmondo, spokesman for the Galveston Sheriff's Department, told Fox News, adding, "We're still going through known missing person cases. It's a long process. Can I say absolutely she is not a known missing person? No. We are getting tips literally from all over the country. We're going through every single one. This tells me that people are concerned."
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| Texas Equusearch |
EquuSearch hopes that by generating national exposure for the case, someone will recognize the young girl's description and will provide them with information on her identity.
"We need to get it out nationally, because we do not believe she is from this area," Cindy said. "Somewhere, there is a grandparent that is going to recognize her or an aunt or uncle or even a pediatrician."
Anyone with information in this case is asked to call the Galveston County Sheriff's Office at (409) 766-2222, Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500 or any Crime Stoppers organization.
Galveston County Crime Stoppers has set up a memorial fund to pay for the little girl's funeral. For information on donating to that fund, call Crime Stoppers at (409) 763-TIPS.
Visit Crime Library's message boards to discuss this case with other readers.
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