Mackinac County cold case suspect to stand trial for death of an infant
MACKINAC COUNTY, Mich. (WJMN) – Nearly two years after the arrest of a woman in a cold-case investigation, a jury will now decide her fate.
In a release from the Michigan Attorney General’s office, it was announced that Nancy Gerwatowski will stand trial for the 1997 death of an infant.
92nd District Court Judge Beth Ann Gibson issued an Opinion and Order, binding Gerwatowski’s case over to trial.
Charges include one count each of Open Murder, Involuntary Manslaughter, and Concealing the Death of an Individual.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, in June of 1997, the body of an infant was found in a campground pit toilet at the Garnet Lake Campground in Hudson Township. In the investigation that followed, no witnesses or usable leads emerged.
Twenty years later, a Michigan State Police (MSP) Detective Sargent started genetic testing of the skeletal remains with the help of a private laboratory and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). In 2022, a potential DNA match led investigators to Nancy Gerwatowski.
Suspect identified and extradited to Michigan in ‘Baby Garnet’ cold case
According to the Attorney General’s office, “The State alleges Gerwatowski delivered the newborn alone at her Newberry home, during which Baby Garnet died due to asphyxiation, and that this death could have been prevented by medical intervention Gerwatowski did not seek. She then, allegedly, concealed the deceased newborn in an outhouse at the campground in Hudson, more than 20 miles out of town.”
“Thanks to the incredible efforts of investigators across three decades, we are finally able to pursue justice for Baby Garnet more than 25 years after her tragic death,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “In 1997, genetics testing was nowhere near as sophisticated as it is today, and I am grateful for the work of detectives and responders on-scene to preserve vital evidence in this matter. Prosecutors in my office are able to bring about this long-delayed criminal trial because of twenty-seven years of sound police work, scientific advancement, evidence preservation, and diligent state and local detectives who never gave up on justice for this infant victim.”
Gerwatowski’s next court appearance will be in Mackinac County’s 11th Circuit Court. A date has not yet been set. She remains released on bond with a GPS tether.
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