WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Nearly 37 years after investigators found a newborn boy dead in a laundry bin at a Texas Air Force base, DNA technology has helped identify his mother, who later admitted to giving birth and concealing the infant’s death.
Investigators found the full-term newborn in August 1988 inside a laundry bin at Ponds Laundry in Wichita Falls. The baby wore linens from the Air Force Regional Hospital at Sheppard Air Force Base, according to Othram.
Investigators determined that the infant died from hypovolemia and anemia. They accounted for all known pregnant patients and newborns at the hospital and on the base but could not identify the child’s mother.
DNA testing revives cold case
In 2022, investigators with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations sent tissue samples from the infant to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands.
Scientists developed a DNA profile and used forensic genetic genealogy to generate new investigative leads. The investigation eventually led authorities to Tammy Sue Kerns.
Air Force investigators interviewed Kerns in May 2025. According to Othram, she admitted that she was the infant’s mother and said she had concealed her pregnancy and received no medical care.
Investigators later collected a DNA sample from Kerns and compared it with the infant’s DNA. The testing confirmed her as the child’s mother, Othram said.
Investigators say mother concealed birth
Plea papers cited from Othram say Kerns told investigators that she went into labor during a night shift at the hospital and gave birth inside an X-ray room after locking the doors.
Kerns also admitted covering the newborn’s mouth until he stopped crying and/or breathing, according to the plea papers.
She then wrapped the infant in hospital linens, placed him inside a laundry bin, cleaned the X-ray room and returned to work, the documents say.
Under a plea agreement, Kerns faces five to 20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor scheduled Kerns’ sentencing for Jan. 8, 2027.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated the case, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Allyson Monte is prosecuting it.
Othram said the case marks the 32nd publicly announced Texas investigation that has used its technology to identify an individual.