Forensic genealogy and renewed Air Force investigations solved a nearly 40-year cold case when Tammy Sue Kerns pleaded guilty to killing her newborn in 1988. The infant was found in a laundry bin on Aug. 4, 1988, wrapped in Sheppard Air Force Base hospital linens. DNA work by AFOSI and the forensic lab Othram identified the parents; Kerns admitted she hid the pregnancy and suffocated the baby. Sentencing is set for Jan. 8, 2027; she faces 5–20 years, up to $250,000 in fines and supervised release.
Forensic Genealogy Cracks 1988 Cold Case: Tammy Sue Kerns Pleads Guilty to Newborn's Death
Stock photo of pipetting a sample into a tray for DNA testing.Credit: Getty
Tammy Sue Kerns has pleaded guilty in federal court to the 1988 killing of her newborn son after forensic genealogy and renewed Air Force investigations identified her as the infant's mother.
On Aug. 4, 1988, the newborn boy was found inside a laundry bin at Ponds Laundry in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was wrapped in linens traced to the Air Force Regional Hospital at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita County. An autopsy at the time revealed no physical abnormalities or toxic substances, and the case was initially closed when investigators were unable to identify suspects.
Stock photo of a criminologist studying DNA.Credit: Getty
Reopening the Case and DNA Breakthrough
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) reopened the investigation in 2015 and began new interviews. In 2017, DNA recovered from the infant was sent to the Air Force's DNA Identification Laboratory to build a family DNA profile. In 2022 the forensic laboratory Othram used advanced genealogical techniques to search for the baby's parents.
One test ultimately identified the biological father, who was interviewed in 2024. AFOSI cross-referenced personnel records from the relevant timeframe and found a single woman who had been stationed with the father during the likely conception window and who was present at Sheppard when the infant was discovered.
Stock photo of a lab experiment.Credit: Getty
Admission and Plea
When brought in for questioning, Kerns acknowledged she was the child's mother and admitted she had hidden her pregnancy. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Kerns told investigators she gave birth during a night shift in the hospital's X-ray room, suffocated the newborn by placing her hand over his mouth until he stopped breathing, cut the umbilical cord, wrapped it around the baby, placed him in a laundry bin and then returned to work. She later voluntarily provided a DNA sample confirming maternity.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould: "Forensic genealogy shattered the silence surrounding this crime and revealed the truth the defendant hid for nearly forty years. Time will never shield those who commit violent crimes."
Kerns has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2027. Under the plea agreement she faces a federal prison term of no less than five years and no more than 20 years, a potential fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years of supervised release.
This resolution underscores how advances in DNA analysis and persistent investigative work can resolve long-cold cases and bring accountability decades after a crime occurred.
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