TROUP COUNTY, Ga. — Deputies found a newborn’s body inside a watermelon cooler on Jan. 6, 2019 in Troup County. Over a year later, an arrest has finally been made in the case.
Troup County Sheriff’s Office arrested 19-year-old Caroline Propes of Newnan for the baby’s death Thursday.
Investigators determined Propes to be the baby’s biological mother based on DNA lab results conducted in Oklahoma and Virginia.
Propes has been charged with second-degree murder.
“From the moment this case was opened, I and my team of investigators were determined to bring this case to a conclusion. I cannot thank them enough for their determination to close a case that touched many people and were it not for the work of DNA Solutions and Innovative Forensic DNA, LLC, this case may not have been solved. We greatly appreciate their assistance," Sheriff James Woodruff said.
Troup County sheriff’s deputies were called to Boy Scout Road off New Franklin Road about 3:20 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2019 after someone found the baby’s body in a cooler.
Witnesses told authorities that the cooler, a zippered bag on wheels with watermelon print, had been sitting there for up to a week.
The Troup County Sheriff’s Office reminds people of the Safe Place for Newborn Act, that allows for someone who can’t care for a newborn to leave the child with a staff member with minimal questions asked.
[RELATED: How does Georgia’s Safe Haven Law work?]
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