Marge, Would I work this case? Absolutely

With the scenario you give the only problem would be what has happened AFTER the baby was picked up. If I were working this case no.1, I would use the STU-100 and take a pad off the baby itself. Second I would make a 2nd pad off the inside of the blanket that was in contact with the baby. The primary and secondary scent would both be on those pads. The body was frozen, no decomposition. so temp would not be a factor. When I make pads they are put in a scent bank and frozen anyway. But you want to let that pad sit at room temp for a few minutes(15) before you use it as a scent article. This has been done where the article was 11 years an 11 days old and it worked as well as a fresh pad.

When you use the pad to check for the secondary scent make sure that the area was a place where the officer had never been. The child had never laid a trail anywhere so those two can be eaily eliminated. Th dog is matching the scent on the pad to the trail laid so that is not a problem. Any problems would have occured after the child was picked up. It's always advisable to make more than one scent pad. Also it's also advisible that the dog has been taught negative trails.

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Replying to:

Last week, a woman delivered a live baby boy. With cord still

attached to placenta, placed a diaper on the child, wrapped the child

in two blankets and left it in the woods to die. We were

experiencing extremely cold temps and snow was falling.

The next day, a young boy following animal tracks, saw the blanket

and discovered the dead child face down in the blanket, and ran for

help. When PD arrived they found the child wrapped in the blanket

with 1 inch of snow under it, and 1.5 inches on top. Obviously the

woman placed the child during the storm. It has since been

determined the child was born alive and froze to death. NO K9 SAR

teams were called to help determine a direction of travel, and the

search for the mother is in progress. There were approx 8-10

persons, LE, On-lookers ect.. at the scene or close by. One LE

officer with gloves on, picked up the child still wrapped in the

blanket and took it to a waiting squad car. The child held tight

against her while she placed the child in a basket. The area the child was found was about 1/4 mile from a main highway, behind a tennis court in a public park. Question: Could

that blanket be a good scent article? What scent would the dog

take? Mother, Child, Officer? (Secondary Scent)? Would temperatures have a strong

bearing on scent present? Temps that evening were in the mid 20's. Would this be cadaver scent on the

blanket? Would it matter? Obviously, the mothers scent, and/or

fathers scent plus the Officers' scent would be present right?

Would you take this case and try to work it, now one week later?

margie