Woman arrested in 1991 cold case death of infant found in dumpster
01/14/2026 9:30 am PST
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (TCN) -- A woman has been arrested and charged after an investigation connected her to the long-unsolved death of an infant found in a dumpster.
On Jan. 7, the Kentucky State Police announced that 55-year-old Jennifer Cummins was arrested the previous day in Fairfax, Virginia.
According to police, a sanitation worker found a female infant at a landfill in 1991. The medical investigator determined the child had been born alive and healthy before being placed in a dumpster. She became known as Baby Jane Doe after the case went cold despite investigative efforts at the time.
The case was re-examined recently using advances in technology and forensic science, and the investigation identified Cummins as a suspect.
The Independent reports Kentucky State Police Trooper Justin Kearney said, “Even after decades of time that has passed, with the collaboration of new technologies, advancements, and persistence, we’ve been able to discover new leads in this case.”
In late 2025, the findings were presented to a grand jury, which returned an indictment charging Cummins with murder in the infant’s death, according to police.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, the indictment states that on Nov. 20 or 21, 1991, Cummins committed murder when she allegedly intentionally abandoned the newborn in a dumpster near the Eastern Kentucky University campus.
The Independent reports authorities have not released details on what Cummins’ relationship was to the infant or the circumstances surrounding the death.
Cummins is in custody in Fairfax County Adult Detention Center while awaiting extradition to Kentucky, according to police. The investigation is ongoing.
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