Baby Boy Horry
Baby Boy Horry (c. December 3, 2008 - December 4, 2008) was a formerly-unidentified American child whose body was found off of South Carolina Highway 544, on the outskirts of Conway in Horry County, South Carolina on December 4, 2008.
Baby Boy Horry | |
---|---|
Facial reconstruction of "Baby Boy Horry," created for identification purposes.[1] | |
Born | c. | December 3, 2008
Died | December 4, 2008 (approx. age 1 day) |
Cause of death | Homicide by exposure |
Body discovered | South Carolina Highway 544, Conway, Horry County, South Carolina, U.S. |
Resting place | Hillcrest Cemetery, Conway, Horry County, South Carolina, U.S. |
Known for | Previously unidentified murder victim |
Parent(s) | Jennifer Sahr (mother) |
Investigation
The deceased infant was located by utility workers in the area wrapped in a tote bag, and placed inside of a box in a wooded area along the highway. Coroner reports made it apparent that the infant had died of hypothermia, due to exposure to the elements, but was otherwise viable at the time of death. The child remained unidentified when case eventually ran out of leads,[2] and was declared a cold case until March 3, 2020,[3] when the Horry County Police Department released new information regarding the case, initially supplied by the child's publicly-unidentified father.[4] Jennifer Lynn Sahr, formerly Rickel,[5][6] 32, of Pensacola, Florida, who was a student of Coastal Carolina University at the time, was arrested in North Myrtle Beach following the release of physical evidence confirming her as the mother of Baby Boy Horry.[7] Sahr was incarcerated at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway on of March 4, 2020, charged with the count of homicide by child abuse, where she faced 20 years to life imprisonment for her alleged crime. On March 6, Sahr was denied during a bond hearing. At this hearing, Solicitor Jimmy Richardson read a letter, penned by the child's father, on his behalf, as he was not in the court. The letter read:
“At this time, I would like to ask for privacy and respect for my family as we grieve over the death of my first and only born child and son. Again, I would like to thank everyone involved in bringing justice to my baby boy. I would also like to thank Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club for all they have done, as well as the community members who made sure my child was never alone on any of his birthdays. I would like to ask for prayers during this difficult time as we all grieve for Baby Boy Horry."
According to a press release from the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office on March 26, Judge Larry Hyman set a $75,000 surety bond for Sahr on March 23 after reaching out to the state to inquire if there was enough information available to comment on the accuracy of the original charge of homicide by child abuse on March 20. Online records from the J. Reuben Long Detention Center indicated that she had been released the previous day, March 25.
References
- "Unidentified Remains". www.sled.sc.gov. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
- Weisfeld, Eric. "Nearly a decade later, Baby Boy Horry's tragic death still unsolved". WMBF news. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
- "Woman wanted in 2008 Baby Boy Horry case arrested in North Myrtle Beach". WBTW. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
- @horrycountypd (3 March 2020). "More than 12 years later, scientific evidence provided #HCPD with a new lead in the case. As a result, the case was further developed and SLED confirmed the identity of Baby Boy Horry's biological mother. Warrants were issued for Jennifer Sahr, 32, of Pensacola, FL" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Woman wanted in 2008 Baby Boy Horry case arrested in North Myrtle Beach". WBTW. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
- McBride, Jessica (2020-03-04). "Jennifer Sahr: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
- Klein, Brad Dickerson, Ian. "Woman charged in 'Baby Boy Horry' cold case booked into jail". WMBF news. Retrieved 2020-03-04.