Mother of Baby Found Dead in Porta-Potty in 1997 Found By Forensics
The death of an infant found in a portable toilet at the Electric Forest Festival has renewed interest in a similar 1997 Michigan campground case, where forensic science identified the child's mother decades later.
Electric Forest Porta-Potty Baby Tragedy
On June 28, 2026, a cleaning crew discovered a deceased newborn in a portable toilet at the Electric Forest Festival in Rothbury, Michigan. Investigators say the baby was born alive. The FBI has since offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, but no arrests have been made.
With the FBI now involved, investigators could turn to forensic investigative genetic genealogy to help identify those connected to the newborn and advance the investigation into the child's death.
Read More: 7-Year-Old’s Death Leads to Murder Charges in Michigan
The tragic death of a newborn found in a portable toilet at the Electric Forest Festival has renewed attention to a similar 1997 Michigan campground case that was solved decades later.
Forensics Solves 1997 Porta-Potty Baby Death Mystery
WOOD-TV8 reported that nearly three decades before the Electric Forest newborn death, a similar case unfolded at an Upper Peninsula campground, where a cleaning crew discovered a newborn.
The incident occurred at Garnet Lake Campground in Mackinac County, where a newborn baby girl was found deceased in an outhouse. More than two decades later, advances in forensic science and genetic genealogy helped investigators identify the baby’s mother following a year-long search that ended in 2020.
Fast forward to 2024, when 60-year-old Nancy Gerwatowski, who had been living in Wyoming, was arrested in connection with the case. She remains awaiting trial as the case moves through the legal process. Advances in forensic science helped bring the case forward, giving the newborn a chance for justice and allowing the matter to be addressed in court.
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Gallery Credit: Scott Clow
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