ERWIN, N.C. — A mother and father are accused of killing their baby after the infant’s body was found buried in a backyard.
Dustin VanDyke and Gracie Riddle were arrested Saturday night after the child’s body was found, though the police told WRAL that investigators believed the child had died around Thanksgiving in 2021.
Officers began investigating after receiving a tip about an unreported death months earlier, and executed a search warrant Friday, WTVD reported.
“I think this person just finally got to the point to where their conscience got to him and they decided they need to talk about it and tell someone and that’s how we initially got the report,” Erwin Police Department Chief Jonathan Johnson told WRAL.
The Erwin Police Department brought in a cadaver dog to assist in the investigation, WNCN reported.
Police told WRAL that the gender and age of the child are unknown, but that the baby’s death did not appear accidental.
Both VanDyke and Riddle are scheduled to be appointed a public defender, and are being held in jail without bond, WTVD reported.
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