Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Attleboro Woman Indicted in 1985 Mansfield Newborn Murder

Prosecutors say DNA testing done during a 2022 cold-case review produced evidence that led to a grand jury indictment and an arraignment is scheduled.

Overview

  • Bristol County prosecutors announced that a grand jury indicted 59-year-old Dianne Curry Peck on a murder charge tied to the 1985 death of a newborn known as Baby Doe Mansfield.
  • Two hunters found the naked body of a newborn in snow off Fruit Street in Mansfield on Jan. 26, 1985, and the medical examiner concluded the baby had been born alive and lived only a few hours.
  • Prosecutors say the case was reexamined as part of a 2022 expansion of the county cold-case unit and that evidence from the body was tested with newer DNA forensics.
  • Officials confirmed the indictment Monday and said Peck is due to be arraigned in Fall River Superior Court with more information expected at that hearing.
  • Public statements have given limited new detail about the evidence or the investigation and the arraignment will be the next chance for prosecutors to explain how the cold-case testing advanced the case.