Indiana Woman Pleads Guilty in 1987 Cold Case Death of Infant Found at Academy

FERDINAND, Ind. – Indiana State Police have successfully utilized DNA analysis to resolve a 39-year-old cold case involving the death of a newborn found at a Catholic academy, resulting in a guilty plea from the child’s mother. Alexandra Schurz Gewant, 56, has admitted to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the 1987 discovery, formally concluding a decades-long investigation.

The case originated on April 1, 1987, when a janitor at the Sisters of Saint Benedict Marian Heights Academy in Ferdinand discovered the body of a baby boy inside a bag while sorting through trash. For nearly four decades, the identity of the infant and the circumstances surrounding his death remained unknown until recent forensic advancements allowed investigators to identify Gewant as the mother.

According to the probable cause affidavit, investigators interviewed Gewant in June of last year. She admitted to police that she had given birth to the child in a bathroom stall at the academy. Gewant stated she left the infant in the toilet while she retrieved a bag to dispose of the body in the garbage. During the interview, she revealed she had been “very angry” at the biological father and initially believed she would miscarry.

Gewant explained to detectives that she met the father at a party in June 1986. She alleged that after consuming alcohol, she felt strange and did not recall engaging in sexual intercourse, only realizing she was pregnant months later. Following the discovery of the body, she admitted to lying to school officials and police during the initial 1987 investigation to conceal her involvement.

Under the terms of a plea agreement filed in court, prosecutors dropped the initial murder charge. Gewant pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and will receive a six-year prison sentence, which is entirely suspended to probation. She has agreed to serve this probation in Tennessee, where she currently resides.

It is important to note that while a plea agreement involves an admission of guilt, all individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Judicial & Forensic Resolution

This case highlights the critical role of modern forensic genealogy in securing legal resolutions for historical investigations where traditional leads had long evaporated. The decision to suspend the six-year sentence in favor of probation reflects the complexities inherent in adjudicating cold cases, balancing the severity of the offense against the passage of time and the evidentiary challenges of a potential trial. By securing a plea to voluntary manslaughter, the state achieved a definitive judicial closure to the 1987 incident without the uncertainties of litigating a nearly 40-year-old homicide charge.