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20 years cold

Tracy Hurlbert was horrified when she saw the story of a baby being found dead in a plastic bag at Boulevard Lake on the news 20 years ago.
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Thunder Bay Police Service spokeswoman Const. Julie Tilbury. (Jodi Lundmark, tbnewswatch.com)

Tracy Hurlbert was horrified when she saw the story of a baby being found dead in a plastic bag at Boulevard Lake on the news 20 years ago.

On March 9, 1994, the body of an infant was found frozen in a garbage bag on the east side of Boulevard Lake by passersby.

Twenty years later, police still don't know exactly what happened to the child or who he belonged to. Hurlbert remembers the story every March and she wonders about the life the child could have had.

She also remembers the impact it had on the community.

"I went to his funeral and have never seen so many people crowd into the (funeral) chapel," Hurlbert said in a letter to the editor.

"It was filled to overflowing with people from all walks of life: nurses, doctors, lawyers, librarians, office workers, mill workers, homeless people, police officers," she writes.

"What haunted me was the sight of six police officers in dress uniform carrying this tiny little casket with tears running down their cheeks."

Thunder Bay Police Service Const. Julie Tilbury said the case is still open and it's one the force would like to solve.

"This will remain an open case with us and any leads that come forward of any type will be followed up," she said.

"We really hope someone out there has some information about this. We know someone does."

Anytime a case involves a child, and in this case a newborn, Tilbury said it really raises the community's interest.

"(They're) concerned as to what happened and what went on and if there are any safety concerns. It's hard to be able to tell exactly what happened or why the child was discarded but it's something that's not normal in society to do this," she said.

Anyone with any information on the case is asked to contact the police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.tipsubmit.com.




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