Sketch released in push to ID toddler found dead in 1968
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. -- The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has released a new sketch of an unidentified toddler whose body was found in 1968, inside a suitcase in a Missouri lake.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the child was found by a fisherman in the lake near West Alton, in about three feet of water and about 12 feet from shore.
The girl, who was most likely 2 or 3 years old when she died, was the victim of a murder, reports CBS St. Louis. Her body had been in the water for a short period of time, likely a few weeks, when it was discovered 47 years ago on Feb. 1, 1968, according to NCMEC.
A spokesman for the St. Charles County Police Department says the child's body is expected to be exhumed in the next few weeks from a cemetery in St. Charles. In addition to the release of the sketch, DNA tests are expected to be performed in an effort to help identify the child, reports the Post-Dispatch.
St. Charles County sheriff's deputy Stephanie Fisk came across the child's file 13 years ago when she was assigned to the records department, and decided to take a new look at the case when she was recently transferred from patrol to detective duty, reports the paper.
"It never left me," Fisk told the paper.
She asked NCMEC to develop the sketch based on photos of the child's body. The sketch was released Tuesday on a Facebook page called "Help ID Me," maintained by the center.
"This little girl has remained nameless for 47 years," read the Facebook post. "Share her story and help give this child back her name."
The girl's body had no outward signs of violence, reports the paper. She had long blond hair, but her eye color couldn't be determined.
Anyone with information about the child's identity is asked to call 636-949-7900 or 1-800-THE-LOST.