Annie Anderson: Mom of Baby Skylar who was found dead in Phoenix airport trash can 19 years ago arrested
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Annie Anderson, 51, from Washington, has been arrested in connection with a chilling case from almost two decades ago, where a dead baby was discovered in a Phoenix airport bathroom trash can.
The arrest follows the breakthrough in the long-standing mystery, linking Anderson to the infamous "Baby Skylar" case through DNA and genealogy evidence.
Missing Laptop connects to deceased Baby Skylar
The tragic incident unfolded on October 10, 2005, at Terminal 4 of the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport when airport security, initially searching for a missing laptop, stumbled upon the lifeless newborn in a black bag inside the bathroom trash, according to WCAX.
Retired cold case detective Troy Hillman described the heartbreaking discovery, recalling how they "found a deceased newborn inside the bag."
Baby Skylar was less than 24 hours old
Despite efforts to determine the exact location where the baby had been wrapped in hotel towels, the case remained unsolved for years. The coroner ruled the cause of death as suffocation, classifying it as a homicide.
Baby Skylar was less than 24 hours old at the time of the tragic incident, ABC 15 reported. “She just literally was welcomed into the world only to be murdered. It was just horrific,” said Hillman.
Annie Anderson faces first-degree murder charges
The case went cold until 2021 when advancements in DNA and genealogy technology led investigators to a potential match. In January 2022, a warrant was executed to search Anderson's home in Washington, resulting in her admission that she was the mother of Baby Skylar. Authorities do not believe the father was involved in the crime.
Hillman expressed the belief that Baby Skylar might have gone unnoticed if it weren't for the coincidence of a lost laptop on that fateful day. “It was almost divine intervention,” he claimed. “That just kind of burns at me to this day. This didn’t have to be this way, and somebody needed to explain why they did what they did.”
Anderson now faces first-degree murder charges and is currently in custody in Washington, awaiting extradition to Phoenix.
