Pine Bluff, Arkansas — A 34-year-old cold case involving a newborn found dead with severe head trauma has taken a major turn after police arrested the child’s alleged mother and charged her with capital murder.
The newborn boy was discovered in Pine Bluff on June 22, 1992, according to the Pine Bluff Police Department. Investigators determined that the baby had died from craniocerebral trauma, and his death was ultimately classified as a homicide.
For more than three decades, the case remained unsolved.
New Investigation Revives 1992 Homicide Case
The investigation eventually went cold, but authorities returned to the case with new assistance in 2025.
In October 2025, the Pine Bluff Police Department received assistance from the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division as investigators worked to identify the person responsible for the newborn’s death.
A DNA indexing effort eventually produced a potential lead involving Stephanie Amos, 52, of Pine Bluff, according to police.
Investigators then began examining Amos’s connection to the area where the infant had been found more than three decades earlier. Police said they learned that Amos lived in the area at the time the newborn was discovered.
Investigators Uncovered Clues About a Past Pregnancy
As detectives continued looking into Amos’s history, they also developed information from people who knew her in 1992.
According to Pine Bluff police, individuals familiar with Amos at the time recalled that she had been pregnant before the newborn was discovered.
That information became another piece of evidence as investigators worked to determine whether Amos was connected to the unidentified infant.
Police eventually interviewed Amos in November 2025.
During that interview, investigators said Amos allegedly acknowledged that she had given birth to the baby and later disposed of the infant.
Authorities did not publicly provide additional details about what Amos allegedly told investigators regarding the circumstances surrounding the newborn’s death.
DNA Testing Identified the Baby’s Mother
The investigation continued after the interview, with authorities conducting additional DNA testing. According to police, the testing ultimately confirmed that Amos was the newborn’s mother.
That finding provided investigators with a crucial connection between the woman they had identified through the DNA investigation and the baby whose death had remained unresolved since 1992.
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After completing their investigation, Pine Bluff police said they referred the case to the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for further action.
The case then moved forward more than three decades after the newborn was originally discovered.
Mother Arrested and Charged With Capital Murder
On September 14, Amos was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the newborn’s death.
She is currently being held in the Jefferson County jail, according to authorities. The arrest marks a significant development in a case that had remained unresolved for 34 years.
However, an arrest and criminal charge are allegations, and Amos is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Case Moves Forward After Decades
It remains unclear from the available information whether Amos has entered a plea or retained an attorney to represent her.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed all of the evidence gathered during the renewed investigation, and additional details about the alleged circumstances surrounding the baby’s death may emerge as the criminal case progresses.
For investigators, the case represents the latest example of a long-unsolved homicide receiving new attention through advances in DNA analysis and renewed investigative work.
What do you think about this decades-old cold case finally leading to an arrest? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
