Riverhead woman in 1993 cold case confesses to baby’s death, records show
Denise Merker’s criminal complaint filed in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead reveals statements she made during a recorded interview.
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The woman accused in the 1993 killing of a newborn told Suffolk County detectives “I did it,” according to court documents.
Denise Merker, of Riverhead, who was arrested on Feb. 2 and charged with murder in the girl’s death, told Suffolk County detectives that she placed a paper towel in the infant’s mouth after the baby began crying.
Merker’s criminal complaint filed in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead reveals statements she made during a recorded interview.
She told detectives, “I did it. I did everything,” according to documents.
The infant, known as Baby Jane Doe, was found by highway workers in 1993 inside a trash bag discarded in a field off Route 25 in Calverton.
While authorities have credited advances in DNA technology with solving many cold cases nationwide in recent years, prosecutors have not directly detailed how evidence in this case led to Merker’s arrest.
Merker has pleaded not guilty.
