BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — Four years after a baby was found floating in the Boynton Beach Inlet, authorities said they have found a suspect, thanks in part to new DNA technology: the newborn’s mother.
The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office on Thursday confirmed they have arrested 29-year-old Arya Singh in the 2018 death of that hours-old baby found floating in the ocean off of Boynton Beach.
“We took her into custody, we interviewed her, we interviewed several friends and family members,” said PBSO detective Brittany Christoffel.
7News cameras captured Singh as she was taken out of a patrol car and led into the Palm Beach County Jail in West Palm Beach.
PBSO officials and Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg released more details about their investigation during a press conference held Thursday afternoon.
“Today is a good day for justice,” said Aronberg.
The baby went unidentified for years. Her small body is still held by the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.
A medical examiner later ruled her death a homicide. Detectives called her Baby June.
Deputies said Singh told them the baby was born in a hotel room bathroom.
“She wasn’t feeling very well, she went to a hotel room. She didn’t want to stay home so people wouldn’t ask her questions about what was going on,” said Christoffel. “She didn’t know she was pregnant until she saw that the baby had come out. She said the baby landed in the water, and she passed out.”
Detectives said Singh kept the baby in a backpack believing she was dead. She kept the backpack with her while she attended a class at Florida Atlantic University.
Singh is accused of throwing the baby into the inlet on May 30, 2018.
“[She went] to the inlet that night and put the baby in the water,” said Christoffel.
Investigators said an off-duty Boynton Beach firefighter who was fishing in the inlet found the newborn’s body floating in the water two days later.
“We checked every child born in Palm Beach County and in Broward County with their support, and we ended up with nothing,” said PBSO Special Investigations Capt. Steven Strivelli. “None of the tips that we received were fruitful.”
DNA testing came up with zero matches for four and a half years. Detectives had few leads, so the cold case squad took over.
The crime lab used new DNA technology that searches for family members, and that led them to Baby June’s father.
“We got the DNA from the father. He was very cooperative; he knew nothing about this baby,” said Christoffel. “He knew that he had a girlfriend around that time who told him that she had been pregnant but had taken care of it.”
Investigators said a DNA sample from Singh’s trash indicated she was the mother.
Detectives said phone records placed her at the inlet, and online search histories showed she looked for stories about the baby’s discovery.
“She did see the first articles on June 1st, about 5 p.m., and so she did know that. She’s never come forward in all this time,” said Christoffel.
Authorities said Singh, currently a full-time psychology student at FAU and security guard, has confessed, and now she faces a first-degree murder charge.
“We can finally bury her. We still have her, she’s still here, so we would like to be able to do that or have the family do that,” said Christoffel.
7News reached out to a man with whom Singh is currently in a relationship. He declined to comment on her arrest; 7News also reached out to Singh’s family members but was unable to reach them.
Singh is currently in jail and is expected to appear in court, Friday.
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