Franklin, Indiana police said on 15 July that they have identified the biological parents of a newborn girl known for three decades only as “Baby Hope,” resolving the central mystery in one of the state’s most persistent cold cases. The infant was discovered stabbed to death in a trash can at Temple Park around 5 p.m. on 13 April 1994. After an initial investigation stalled, detectives reopened the case in 2019 and turned to forensic genetic genealogy, matching DNA preserved from the crime scene to public genealogy databases. The technique pointed investigators to Cheryl D. Larson, who would have been 31 at the time of the birth and died in 2018, and to Paul Shepard, who has told police he was unaware Larson was pregnant. DNA also showed Shepard, not Larson’s then-husband, was the father. Shepard has since named the child Hope Shepard. Authorities said they have not determined who is responsible for the killing. “This is not a closed case,” Lt. Chris Tennell told reporters, adding that no charges have been filed but the inquiry remains active. Johnson County Coroner Mike Pruitt called the identification a significant step toward closure for the community while urging anyone with additional information to come forward.