Crime
Police first found the dead infant in Pine Island Pond in Manchester, N.H. on the afternoon of March 27, 2025.
The infant, referred to as Baby Jane Doe, was found dead in Pine Island Pond last year. Amanda Gokee/The Boston Globe
A New Hampshire woman has been arrested and charged with murder for causing the death of her baby, who was found in a Manchester pond last year.
Hepay Juma, 26, of Manchester, N.H., is charged with reckless second-degree murder in connection with the death of her child, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Manchester Police Chief Peter Marr said in a press release. The charge levied against Juma stems from “an extreme indifference to the value of human life,” they wrote.
Throughout the investigation, the female infant has been referred to as “Baby Jane ‘Grace’ Doe.” She was found dead in Pine Island Pond in Manchester on the afternoon of March 27, 2025.
By April 2, Manchester police said they had received about 50 leads but were still seeking the public’s help in finding information about the suspicious death. Two weeks later, they doubled the $2,500 information reward to $5,000.
The circumstances of the incident remain under active investigation, according to prosecutors.
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