PHOENIX — A Snohomish County woman arrested in connection to a cold case investigation involving the death of a newborn baby at an Arizona airport appeared in court on March 15.
The 51-year-old woman, Annie Anderson, was arrested and booked into the Snohomish County Jail on Feb. 20. She is suspected of abandoning her newborn baby girl inside a bag in a women's restroom garbage at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in 2005.
Anderson has not been charged with any crimes as of March 15, however KING 5 has decided to name her due to the notoriety of this case and the nature of the cold case investigation.
She appeared in court on Friday for an extradition review hearing, with another extradition hearing scheduled for March 29.
Anderson could face felony murder charges if she is extradited to Arizona. Phoenix is located in Maricopa County, and the attorney’s office said it is awaiting her extradition to to then determine charges.
Cold case background
The case eventually went cold after the baby was found on Oct. 10, 2005. In November 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Phoenix police used a technique called investigative genetic genealogy to help identify "a potential maternal match for the newborn victim."
Phoenix police Lt. James Hester said in February that scene evidence showed the baby was not born at the airport but that the baby was born alive and then suffocated, according to KING 5's previous coverage. The medical examiner ruled that the baby died from suffocation.
In January 2022, investigators traveled to Washington state to execute a search warrant and interview the suspect, Anderson. Investigators confirmed that Anderson was the mother of the baby.
After an extensive investigation, a Maricopa County grand jury issued an arrest warrant for Anderson for the first-degree murder of the baby, who became known as Baby Skylar.
In December 2023, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office contacted the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) to locate Anderson, who was living in Arlington, and she was arrested.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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