In an unexpected move, the Suffolk District Attorney in Massachusetts announced on Tuesday that no criminal charges will be filed in connection with the investigation into the disturbing discovery of four newborn babies wrapped in tin foil inside a freezer in the home of a Boston woman who “concealed her pregnancies.”
“This investigation, one of the most difficult, peculiar, and baffling that this office has ever conducted, is finally concluded. While we have some answers, many aspects of this case will most likely never be resolved,” DA Kevin Hayden stated in a press statement.
On the afternoon of November 17, 2022, Boston police responded to a 911 call reporting a suspected baby inside a freezer. Officials later revised the call to include additional newborns. The caller claimed that he and his wife came across the terrible discovery while cleaning out his sister’s South Boston apartment.
Investigators discovered that Alexis Aldamir, 69, owned and occupied the apartment.
In total, four newborns were discovered that day. Investigators reported that all four were frozen solid in shoe boxes wrapped in foil. Two were males, two were females, and DNA tests revealed that they were all siblings. They were likewise thought to be between 37 and 40 weeks.
The medical examiner stated that there was no scientific way to tell how long the babies had been frozen. The autopsy revealed no signs of internal or exterior trauma, nor was there any evidence of visible injuries. The study also stated that there was no evidence of food, milk, or formula within the babies’ bellies.
The medical examiner also stated that the cause of death for all of the newborns was “undetermined” and that it was impossible to say definitively whether the babies were delivered alive.
Investigators were able to find Aldamir in a residential nursing facility and eventually obtained a court order to collect a DNA sample. The results confirmed that she was the mother of the four babies.
Coworkers of Aldamir, who worked for an accounting firm in Boston from March 1980 to October 2021, described her as a “heavy-set woman who had a penchant for wearing loose-fitting clothing regardless of the season.” They also informed investigators that they had no knowledge she was pregnant.
Additional DNA testing indicated that the fathers of all four babies died in 2011, and that Aldamir had given birth to a girl in April 1982.
Investigators also discovered two parental rights surrender forms, one signed by Aldamir and the other by the guy identified as the father of the four frozen kids.
Officials discovered that Aldamir had five children with the same man and had given one of them up for adoption. The last four were discovered dead in Aldamir’s apartment in November 2022.
Investigators indicated that they encountered various problems while determining whether any crimes could be proven.
First, detectives stated that any homicide prosecution must include evidence that the victims were alive. Additionally, the medical examiner must determine the cause of death.
In this case, investigators are unable to show that the babies were ever alive, and there is no cause or method of death.
Second, authorities reported that the autopsy revealed no traces of internal or external trauma to the newborns, as well as no evident injuries.
Third, because the father is now deceased, investigators stated that he cannot be charged with any offenses.
Finally, detectives said that Aldamir’s capacity to stand trial was being questioned.
When Aldamir was later questioned about the babies discovered in her flat, she “appeared confused and demonstrated a lack of understanding about where she was and who she was speaking to,” according to investigators.
“A prosecutor’s office cannot ethically proceed with a case in which it believes it cannot bring to trial. Based on the information gathered during the investigation, including the many unanswered issues about the cause of death of the four newborns, prosecutors have determined that they will be unable to put this case to trial. As a result, Hayden concluded that no criminal charges would be brought in this investigation.