The newborn girl was found inside a garbage bag in a dumpster in Picayune, Miss., on April 17, 1992
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Inga Johansen Carriere: Andrew K. Carriere II. PHOTO: JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE (2)
The parents of a newborn who was found dumped in the trash in Mississippi in 1992 have been arrested in connection with the baby girl’s death.
Inga Johansen Carriere and Andrew Carriere, both 50, face charges of first-degree murder in the death of the child, who was found inside a garbage bag in a dumpster in Picayune, Miss. on April 17, 1992, FOX8 reports.
According to the Louisiana State Police, the newborn’s cause of death was perinatal asphyxia due to smothering.
The case was classified as a homicide.
The Picayune Police Department and detectives with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations reopened the case in Aug. 2021.
“With the help of advanced technology, DNA profiles and fingerprints were developed from the preserved evidence,” states a Louisiana State Police press release. “Through investigative means, detectives were able to identify the infant’s parents as 50-year-old Andrew Carriere and 50-year-old Inga Johansen Carriere, who were living in Louisiana at the time of the death.”
Louisiana State Police Trooper Kate Stegall says authorities believe the crime occurred in Louisiana.
“The actual murder is believed to have occurred in Louisiana, and that is why we obtained the arrest warrants,” she tells PEOPLE. “They were living in Louisiana and we have every reason to believe, with the evidence, that the crime occurred here.”
The charges bring “closure to the child, and it also shows the development of processing DNA and where we are now and where we have gone in 30 years,” says Stegall. “These agencies can work together and can achieve a successful completion.”
“The fact that the Picayune Police Department held on to this evidence for this length of time is unheard of,” she says. “It would have stayed unsolved.”
Inga was taken into custody at her home in Avondale, La., on Feb. 28. Andrew Carriere was arrested on March 9 in Galliano, La.
Inga’s Jefferson Parish public defender Paul Fleming Jr. tells PEOPLE: Based on the preliminary investigation, which is exceedingly preliminary, it would suggest the baby was in fact stillborn. And if the baby is stillborn there is no homicide involved.”
He adds: “I am not entitled yet to the coroner report and I know the coroner report says something different, but I am a little skeptical of the coroner report.”
Fleming says Inga and Andrew were both teenagers at the time and weren’t married. Later, they married and had children together, he said.
Fleming says his client has “never been in trouble before and now she is in jail facing murder charges from 31 years ago. Obviously, her spirits are down.”
Andrew Carriere’s attorney could not be reached for comment.
Both suspects were booked in Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.
A hearing is scheduled for March 21.
Source: people.com
