1992 Toddler Death Cold Case Still Being Pursued in Grant County, Near Mattawa

It was 1992, when the wrapped remains of a toddler, likely aged between 12 and  24 months, was found near Mattawa.

   The Child Was Wrapped in a Curtain-Like Material

He became known as Mattawa Baby Doe, and was found in a shallow grave south of Road 24 and west of U3 near Mattawa.  The unidentified male’s skeleton was nearly intact, but facial features were unrecognizable.  That intersection is about 5 miles west of Mattawa, near the Columbia River. The general area is circled in red in our Google Maps Image.

Forensic work to this date determined him to be of either Hispanic, Latin, Native American or perhaps Alaskan descent.  He was wearing white tube socks with red and blue stripes,  JC Penney-brand Toddler Time pants, and a long-sleeved sweater with a polar bear pattern.

Digital facial reconstruction based on the skeleton, says the GCSO, has provided what the child might have looked like.   Baby Doe was reported to the King County WA State missing persons database, and other lists as well.

  The GCSO Says New DNA-Forensic Testing and Tech Helps Break Such Cases

Although it’s been over 3 decades, one investigator is still pursuing the case, and the GCSO says anyone who thinks they have any information related to this case, even if it’s a minor or seemingly insigificant lead, to report it to them at 509-762-1160.

 Do We Know Who Found the Remains?

So many times a tiny or minor clue has led to others and eventually helped solve these cases, or at least identify unknown victims.

All leads can be confidential.  The exact identity of who found Mattawa Baby Doe has not been, as far as anyone knows, publicly released.