Cold Case: 42-Year-Old Woman Arrested Over Newborn's Murder In 1996

A 42-year-old woman was booked for the 1996 cold case murder of a newborn. The baby was found dead in a remote reservoir.

Larimer County Sheriff's Office arrested Jennifer Katalinich under first-degree murder and second-degree murder charges for the homicide of a victim aged below 12 years, according to jail records.

On Aug 24. 1996, deputies of Larimer County Sheriff's Office were notified about a baby girl’s dead body wrapped in a plastic bag floating just under the surface of the water in Horsetooth Reservoir in Larimer County, Colorado, Lt. Andy Josey, a former lieutenant with the sheriff's office, said.

Two 11-year-old boys first spotted the girl’s body who was reportedly born just two days ago. Authorities determined asphyxia or suffocation as the cause of her death.

The investigators are yet to disclose Katalinich's potential connection with the infant, reported Metro.co.uk.

Authorities nicknamed the infant as "Baby Faith," Josey said at a Tuesday news conference. "She didn't deserve to be left alone."

Authorities allegedly located Katalinich in Erie, Maryland led by a DNA report. Baby Faith’s identity and cause of her death remained unsolved for years until investigators decided to resubmit DNA evidence in Nov. 2016. The authorities were then able to point and interview five people, three of them living in Minnesota, who were probably related to “baby Faith.”

The investigators tracked down the fourth individual in Maryland who happened to be Katalinich, authorities said.

"Based on information obtained during the interview in Maryland, investigators determined Jennifer (Tjornehoj) Katalinich could have information pertaining to the 'Baby Faith' case," according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

Katalinich, who hails from Erie, Colorado would have been 18-year-old then when she killed the baby. She admitted to her crime to the officers on Tuesday.

Katalinich was first arraigned in court Tuesday morning and set to reappear in January next year. She has been released after paying a $25,000 bail bond.