A married couple from North Carolina has been arrested after DNA evidence linked them to the killing of an infant who was dumped in a bin over three decades ago.

The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement yesterday, 26th October, that two suspects were charged with concealing the birth of a child in connection with a cold case that had remained unsolved for over three decades.

Scott Gordon Poole, 54 and his wife, Robin Lynn Byrum, 51, were arrested in the town of Nags Head in North Carolina on Monday, 25th October, after DNA evidence connected them to a murder case dating back to April 1991.

Over 30 years ago a child’s body was found decomposing in a bin at the 8600 block of East Tides Drive in South Nags Head.

The Sheriff’s Office said that the body was unidentifiable and not even the gender of the child could be determined.

Ben Cahoon, the Nags Head Mayor, said: “These arrests are a result of many years of diligent investigation by our highly-trained and dedicated law enforcement professionals.”

“While they are responsible for responding to accidents and crimes, they must also defend the innocent. This is a true example of that. The Board and I appreciate their diligence in working to solve this crime.”

For the past three decades, the police have examined the evidence surrounding the case as despite the passing of time the department has refused to give up on finding the guilty party.

During a re-investigation of the case in 2019, one of the Baby Doe’s ribs was sent to a private lab in Texas for forensic analysis.

They recovered human DNA from the bone and used hereditary material to build a genealogical profile which led investigators to the suspects in North Carolina and eventually to the arrest of the couple.

Phil Webster, Nags Head Police Chief, said: “The tragedy of this child’s death and the manner in which his body was disposed of is compounded by the fact that, until now, no one has been found responsible for this incredibly heartbreaking act.”

“But, through the hard work of Nags Head Police investigators and our law enforcement partners in the case, those who did this will be held accountable for a death that has remained unsolved for three decades.”

The two suspects are being held at the Dare County Detention Center and further charges may be filed pending the ongoing investigation.

No further information about the child’s birth place, its parents or age was stated, and no information was revealed regarding any potential motive or anything to do with the circumstances of the child’s death.