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Details begin to emerge in 'Baby Daniel' cold case arrest

Details started to come out that explain how Chesapeake police identified a suspect in the death of newborn "Baby Daniel" in 2003.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Warrants reveal more details on how police linked Melissa Chrisman to a crime committed 17 years ago. She now faces a murder charge and child abuse and neglect charges.

Documents say back on January 7, 2003, 11-year-old Rafael Cabrera was trying to follow animal tracks in the snow at Western Branch Park when he found a blue object that he thought was a jacket.

Cabrera pulled on the object, which turned out to be a blanket. Wrapped inside was a dead baby wearing an oversized diaper and another blanket. In a recent conversation with detectives over FaceTime, Cabrera said he will never forget that day.

"That's something that, that shouldn't happen to anybody. No one deserves that. Especially that young," Cabrera said.

Police documents go on to say the baby’s light blue blanket was never tested at the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Forensic Science Lab. 

For the next 16 years, the case went cold and the search warrant said the blue blanket sat in Chesapeake Police’s evidence building. 

That was until July 3, 2019.

A new detective was assigned to the case and submitted two blankets found at the crime scene to the Norfolk Forensic Science Lab. Four months later, documents said analysis from the lab showed DNA was found on the blue baby blanket.

That DNA reportedly matches Melissa Chrisman's.

13News Now reached out to Chrisman in jail. She declined an interview.

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