Improvements in DNA testing have allowed authorities to identify the parents of a deceased baby found nearly 30 years ago near Lisbon.
On Nov. 10, 1996, the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a dead newborn at a rural farm at 14 Highway 30 near Lisbon. The infant’s body was found in a garbage bag inside the barn, according to the release, but officials were unable to identify the baby, her parents, or what caused her death.
However, recent DNA advancements have identified the parents as Luke Dean Wilson and Samantha Light Hope, both 43 years old.
Register interviewed witnesses in 1996
A Nov. 12, 1996 Des Moines Register article mentions an interview with Tim Wilson and his dad, Clair, who found the baby that morning.
“It was like a bag from a store. You could see into it. He ripped it open and saw little feet and hands. It was quite a shock,” Tim said.
Officials believed that someone cared for the baby because she was placed somewhere she would be found. An autopsy revealed the baby was alive at birth but passed away a few hours after, though there were no marks of trauma. The infant likely passed away from being left outside, authorities said.