Suspect in ‘Baby Skylar’ case extradited to Phoenix to face murder charge in newborn’s death
Apr 12, 2024, 11:30 AM
PHOENIX — A woman who allegedly left her newborn baby in a Phoenix airport garbage can over 18 years ago is now in custody in Arizona after extradition, authorities announced Friday.
The victim in the high-profile cold case became known as “Baby Skylar.”
Annie Anderson, 51, was booked into the Maricopa County Intake, Transfer and Release facility in Phoenix on Thursday night on three counts: first-degree murder, child abuse and concealing a dead body. She is not eligible for release, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Anderson had been in custody in Snohomish County, Washington, since her arrest earlier this year.
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“In collaboration with MCAO [Maricopa County Attorney’s Office] and Phoenix Police, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office extradited the suspect, closing a nearly two-decade-old case that scarred our community,” Sheriff Russ Skinner said in a press release. “I applaud our deputies’ professionalism and success in this mission, which reaffirms our vow to community security and justice.”
How did investigators identify suspect in Baby Skylar cold case?
The case dates back to Oct. 10, 2005, when a baby girl was found dead at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The body was wrapped in a hotel bag and left in a restroom garbage can, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
Baby Skylar, as the victim became known, was only alive for about 24 hours, authorities said.
The case went cold for 16 years until the FBI and Phoenix Police detectives reviewed evidence collected at the scene. They used Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) techniques to identify Anderson as probable match in November 2021, police said.
Arizona investigators traveled to Washington in January 2022 to execute a search warrant and interview Anderson. She allegedly confirmed that she was Baby Skylar’s mother, according to police. She said she’d been in Phoenix in 2005 for a real-estate boot camp.
A Maricopa County grand jury then issued a warrant for Anderson’s arrest.
