SEATTLE — The King County Prosecutor's Office has charged a Seattle woman with second-degree murder for allegedly leaving her newborn son in a trash can at a Lake City gas station in 1997, where he was later found dead.
Court documents released Tuesday identified the woman as 50-year-old Christine Warren of Seattle. She was arrested last week.
On Nov. 20, 1997, police were called to the gas station in the 8700 block of Lake City Way Northeast after the child was found inside a restroom by the store clerk, according to court documents.
The King County Medical Examiner determined the child was born alive, however, the cause of death remained undetermined. The case was investigated as a homicide.
Police received security camera footage from inside the Chevron. A photo of the suspect was shared with local media, but they weren't able to positively identify her, according to court documents.
Police did get a sample of the woman's DNA from the scene. Police began re-investigating the crime in 2018 and sent the DNA sample to a private lab for DNA genotyping. The lab entered the sample into GEDMatch, a public genealogy website, and experts were able to compile a database of individuals who submitted their DNA that were possibly related to the newborn's mother.
Detectives were able to identify Christine Warren as a possible suspect. Then, in November 2020, detectives sent Warren a fake invitation to participate in a flavored-water beverage survey which included a gift card. Warren returned her response to the survey in a provided envelope to a P.O. Box rented by detectives.
In December 2020, detectives submitted the envelope returned by Warren to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for DNA analysis. The sample matched the DNA taken from the crime scene in 1997.
On March 1, detectives interviewed Warren, who admitted she was the mother of the newborn, and that she abandoned the baby in a restroom trash can. Warren said her pregnancy was unplanned and the father of the child reacted negatively when she told him she was pregnant, according to court documents.
Warren said she could not handle the idea of having a child and blocked the pregnancy out of her mind, and did not receive any medical care or tell anyone she was pregnant.
On the night of the newborn's birth, Warren said she was riding in a friend's car when she started experiencing cramps. She asked a friend to stop at the gas station on Lake City Way Northeast. Warren said she went inside and delivered the child in the restroom. She told detectives the baby dropped into the toilet, where she left him for several minutes and then panicked and placed the baby in the trash can, covering the baby with other debris.
Warren said "in her mind" she did not believe the baby was alive. However, she also admitted she did not check the baby for vital signs, and said she did not know for sure if the baby was alive or dead when she put him in the trash can, court documents said.
Warren is booked into King County Jail on $10,000 bail. Her next court appearance will be at her arraignment on March 29.