1981 Newborn Body Discovery in Valley City State University Wooded Area

A North Dakota woman has been charged with murder decades after a newborn girl was found dead on a college campus in 1981. Nancy Jean Trottier is accused in the death of the infant, who was identified by police as Rebecca when she was interred.

On April 16, 1981, the body of a newborn girl was discovered in a wooded area located behind 265 Viking Drive on the Valley City State College campus. Authorities reported that the infant had a plastic covering over her face and her umbilical cord was still attached.

An autopsy performed the following day determined that the infant had been alive at birth. The cause of death was ruled as acute asphyxia, which investigators stated was consistent with suffocation.

Forensic Investigation and Genetic Genealogy

For several decades, investigators pursued various leads but were unable to identify the infant or a suspect. The case remained unsolved until July 2019, when Rebecca’s body was exhumed for further analysis.

DNA extracted from the remains was sent to third-party laboratories for familial and genealogical analysis. By August 2020, investigators received a genetic genealogy report that identified potential relatives of the child, eventually leading authorities to Nancy Jean Trottier.

Trottier attended Valley City State College from 1978 to 1982. During an interview in October 2021, she became emotional and told investigators, maybe it was me and It could be, maybe it was me.

Following the interview, Trottier consented to provide a DNA sample. In December 2021, investigators also collected DNA from her husband via a search warrant.

DNA Evidence and Charges

The North Dakota State Crime Lab returned results in June 2023. According to the affidavit, the DNA analysis concluded it is 3.481 quadrillion times more likely that Rebecca was the biological child of Trottier and her husband than an unrelated individual from the general population.

Further forensic evidence linked Trottier to the scene. DNA consistent with her profile was discovered on tissue paper that had been recovered from the site of the discovery in 1981.

A preliminary hearing and arraignment for Trottier are scheduled for May 21, 2026, at 1 p.m.