Investigators used DNA evidence and genealogical research to identify the child’s parents nearly eight years after his remains were discovered.
DANBURY, Conn. — A Connecticut woman has been charged with murder after authorities alleged she placed her newborn son in a dumpster while he was still alive, leading to the child’s death at a recycling facility in 2018.
Dominique Harrison, 28, of Danbury, faces a charge of murder with special circumstances following a lengthy investigation by Stamford police. She is being held on a $2.5 million bond. Harrison has not been convicted, and the allegations against her must be proven in court.
The child’s remains were found Oct. 16, 2018, by an employee at the City Carting & Recycling Center in Stamford, according to a recently unsealed arrest warrant. The full-term baby still had his umbilical cord attached. Investigators determined that he had been born alive before entering the waste and recycling system.
The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled the death a homicide caused by neglect. The warrant said the baby traveled through machinery at the recycling center before an employee saw his remains. Authorities believe the child died after being placed in the trash and transported to the facility.
The case remained without a publicly identified suspect for years. A major break came in 2023, when investigators received information suggesting the baby could be connected to a family in the Danbury and Bethel area. Detectives then used genetic genealogy, DNA testing and traditional investigative work to narrow the search.
Police identified a possible father and collected a cigarette they saw him discard during surveillance in November 2025, according to the warrant. DNA testing confirmed his biological relationship to the child. Investigators then reviewed his personal connections from 2018 and identified Harrison as one of the women he had dated.
Detectives later collected a drinking straw Harrison discarded in Brookfield and submitted it for forensic testing. A state laboratory reported in March that the DNA profile was consistent with Harrison being the newborn’s biological mother, the warrant said.
When investigators first contacted Harrison on March 31, she initially denied having given birth, according to the warrant. Police said she later acknowledged delivering a baby at home but gave several conflicting accounts about the circumstances surrounding the birth and what happened afterward.
The warrant said Harrison eventually told investigators that she gave birth to the boy on Oct. 12, 2018, and placed him in a dumpster behind a shopping plaza on Backus Avenue. During a later interview, she allegedly acknowledged that the newborn was still moving when she left him there.
Investigators concluded that Harrison knew the baby was alive when she placed him in the dumpster, according to the warrant. Prosecutors allege the location was chosen because it was isolated and made it unlikely that someone would find the child in time to help him.
Harrison’s attorney, Francisco Cardona, challenged the prosecution’s portrayal of his client during an earlier court hearing. He said she had maintained employment, had ties to the community and was working toward a college degree. He also asked that she receive mental health care while in custody.
Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Mary-Caitlin Harding told the court that investigators expect the case to lead to additional inquiries and possibly further charges. Prosecutors have not publicly detailed those possible charges, and no other person had been charged in connection with the newborn’s death as of Saturday.
Harrison remains in custody as the criminal case moves through state Superior Court in Danbury. Her next court appearance was scheduled for July 31, while investigators continued reviewing evidence gathered during the nearly eight-year inquiry.
Author note: Last updated July 11, 2026.