Cindy Sue Elder was arrested Tuesday, 32 years after her baby was found dead in the Iowa City Landfill, according to a release from the City of Iowa City. 

The 58-year-old faces one count of first-degree murder and will be prosecuted by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and the Johnson County Attorney’s Office. 

The body of an unidentified infant was discovered in the landfill on Dec. 21, 1992. With no means to identify the baby due to a lack of known circumstances and limitations in DNA technology, the case did not progress, according to the release. 

In 2020, the case reopened, due to advances in DNA technology, which confirmed Elder as the mother of the infant. 

Elder was 26 at the time of the crime and an Iowa City resident. 

Investigators discovered Elder was living in Clever, Missouri, in February 2022. Elder admitted to giving birth while living in Iowa City, stating to law enforcement she was unaware of how the infant died, and admitting the baby survived the birth, according to the release. 

Elder placed the baby in a plastic bag before depositing it in a trash receptacle, or a container, in Coralville. It was near her father’s residence at an apartment building on 712 Fifth St. in Coralville, where it is believed a trash collector unknowingly transported the baby to the landfill.

The baby’s father told police he was unaware Elder gave birth, or that she was ever pregnant, according to the release.

Iowa City Police Department collaborated with the Johnson County Attorney’s Office, Medical Examiner’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Coralville Police Department during the investigation. 

In a statement to the City of Iowa City, Police Chief Dustin Liston said, “This case exemplifies our commitment to crime victims, especially ones so vulnerable. I am grateful for the dedication, partnerships, and technological advances that have made this arrest possible.”

Elder is currently being held in the Christian County Jail in Ozark, Missouri.