Study shows unidentified dead boy spent short life in northern Illinois
Authorities say they hope new scientific information may help them identify a young boy whose remains were buried earlier this year.
The unidentified little boy whose remains were found in 2005 inside a laundry bag dumped in a field on the outskirts of northwest Naperville spent most of his life in northern Illinois, authorities said Wednesday.
A study of oxygen isotopes in the boy's bones and teeth by a Canadian college professor who specializes in geochemistry determined the particular isotopes from the boy's skeleton matched samples taken from the tooth of a Naperville child.
The research further determined the boy's mother had lived in the south-central portion of Canada while pregnant with the boy -- likely Winnipeg, Sault Ste. Marie or the surrounding areas, said Henry P. Schwarcz, an emeritus professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, who performed the study.
"Most of your body is made up of oxygen, and that gets into your bones and teeth, and therefore you have some records of where that oxygen comes from," Schwarcz said.
Over the course of 40 years, scientists have created a map of North America based on particular types of oxygen isotopes, Schwarcz said. While the map can't pinpoint exact locations, it can narrow things down.
Using one of the boy's primary molars, Schwarcz was able to determine that the child's mother had lived in a particular area of Canada or even possibly the Upper Peninsula of Michigan while pregnant. Because the tooth was formed in utero, it carries the mother's information.
An analysis of the boy's bone determined he had spent most, if not all, of his life in northern Illinois. Schwarcz said bones collect oxygen isotopes that act as geographic markers throughout a person's life.
The oxygen isotopes taken from the dead boy's bones "proved to be essentially indistinguishable" when compared to isotopes from a Naperville toddler's tooth, Schwarcz said.
Investigators from the DuPage County sheriff's office hope the new information, combined with previously released details, will lead them to the boy's identity.
"This new information is based on scientific data, not guess work or interpretation, and tends to lend credence to our working theory that the clothes our little boy was wearing were purchased locally, at a Wal-Mart in Forest Park," Sheriff John Zaruba said in a news release. "I believe that there has to be someone, somewhere here in northern Illinois, perhaps even in DuPage County, who can help us identify this child and put a name on his gravestone."
The boy's body was found Oct. 8, 2005, by a man walking his dog in a field near Ferry Road and Meadow Drive in unincorporated Naperville Township. An autopsy determined the boy to be 3 or 4 years old and of either Hispanic or American Indian descent. The autopsy could not determine a cause of death.
The boy's body recently was buried at Assumption Cemetery in Wheaton in a plot donated by the Catholic Diocese of Joliet.
Zaruba is urging anyone with information, "no matter how insignificant you may think it is," to call investigators at (630) 407-2400 or toll-free at (800) 669-7109.
A reward of $11,000 is being offered for information leading to the identification of the boy. Tipsters may remain anonymous and still collect the reward.