In 2022, the body of a child was found at a Bronx sewer facility. Two years later, it's still a mystery as to who that child was — but police haven't lost hope, and the search for new clues continues for the veteran detectives who remain haunted by the tragic case.
The unimaginable discovery on the sewage conveyor belt of a Hunts Point wastewater treatment plant on Ryawa Avenue made headlines across the nation on Aug. 31, 2022.
"We got the first call around 8:30 that morning stating that the Department of Environmental Protection plant found a baby leg," said Det. Devernier Smith. "The second call came at about 11 o’clock that night saying there was a second baby leg found...They took us to the table where we saw the baby leg, which pretty much gave me the chills."
Investigators have been able to learn a few details about the child: They determined the baby's gestational age was about 38 weeks, and was a female, police said. Because of that, and when the child was found, they named her August.
"Hopefully that could bring a little more connection to the baby and not just say this is a baby leg — this is Baby August we are talking about," said Smith.
"It’s not just a body part that was found — this body part belongs to a child and they’re precious, right?" Det. Frankie Soler told NBC New York.
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Since that time, detectives Smith and Soler have tracked down dozens of leads and even took ink prints from baby August’s feet to compare with hospital records. But to this day there are more questions than answers.
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"It was tough. It’s baby’s legs. It’s messed up to think about," said Soler. "We take every case seriously and we don’t put any case on the back burner, but this one in particular we definitely take home a bit."
As the two-year anniversary approaches, the detectives refuse to give up. The first thing they still want to know: Who was Baby August?
"Once we find out who the baby is, we can now find out who the family is and start talking to family members and finding out what actually happened in that particular day," Smith said. "I wouldn’t want somebody to forget about me or forget about my child."
Both detectives firmly believe the case can be solved, and the break could come as a result of cops and community working together.
"If there was a family member that was pregnant during that time frame and now all of a sudden they don’t see that baby around that family member they can come and talk to us. They can remain anonymous," said Smith.
Together, Soler and Smith have remain committed to using their voices to become the voices of Baby August.
"That’s child deserved to have a full life and that child isn’t here anymore," said Soler.
The Bronx district attorney's office and the NYPD were asking for help resolving the mystery. The medical examiner's office uploaded Baby August's DNA into the National Database so it can be compared to missing persons cases, but that will not yield further information if the girl has not been reported missing. The DA's office said that federal databases cannot take her DNA profile because the girl's death has not been ruled a homicide.
A cash reward of more than $3000 is being offered for any information that could help in the case. Anyone with information is urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, the 41st Precinct Detective Squad at (718) 542- 5313 or Bronx Homicide Squad at (718) 378- 8791.
