SANTA ROSA COUNTY

SHERIFFS OFFICE

Sheriff Wendell Hall

Sheriff's Office Concludes Investigation into “Baby Milton ” Discovery

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office has concluded its investigation concerning the discovery of the body of a newborn baby last December. The baby was since named and referred to by the public as “Baby Milton”. The original investigation began on 12/29/08 at 1600 hours, after Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to 6559 Clear Creek Road , Milton , Florida in reference to the discovery of a dead newborn infant. The homeowner, Henry McGill, called 911 stating that the family dog had exited an adjacent wooded area carrying the body of what appeared to be an infant. The dog placed the infant's body near the wood line at the home owner's property. When deputies arrived, they confirmed that the dog had located the body of a newborn infant. Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office investigators, crime scene technicians, and the Medical Examiner's Office arrived at the scene to investigate the case. The child's body was transported to the Medical Examiner's Office in Pensacola and an autopsy was conducted to help with the investigation. The autopsy revealed that the child appeared to be stillborn. The medical examiner's office concluded that the cause of death was a still birth due to immaturity.Sheriff's Office investigators have continued to work on identifying the baby and where the child came from. During the investigation, investigators discovered that the previously mentioned homeowners have a daughter that was 18 years of age at the time of the discovery. The daughter, Erica McGill (now 19 years of age) had returned home from her college in Jacksonville a short time prior to the baby being discovered. Investigators spoke with Erica McGill and requested that she provide DNA sample to assist with the investigation. Erica McGill voluntarily provided a DNA sample to the Sheriff's Office which was sent off for comparison. FDLE confirmed through DNA comparison that Erica McGill was the mother of the deceased infant. Due to this, investigators re-interviewed Erica McGill and confronted her with their findings. McGill stated that she found out that she was pregnant in May or June 2008 and found out that she was going to be having a male child. McGill also stated that she had already picked a name for the baby; Jeremiah Maurice Johnson. McGill also advised that she did not obtain prenatal care during her pregnancy. McGill stated that she returned home from college on 12/13/08 , believing that she had time before the child was due. McGill told investigators that on Sunday morning around 2am (unknown exact date) after she had returned home, she began experiencing pain. This continued until around 6am , at which time she went outside with the family dog. McGill then realized that she was giving birth, and panicked. The baby arrived, and according to McGill, was not breathing. McGill stated that the child never cried or moved, which is consistent with the findings of the Medical Examiner. McGill stated that she didn't know what to do, so she sat with the child for about two hours, and then buried her child. Erica McGill stated that she was afraid to disclose her pregnancy to her family.Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office investigators conferred with the State Attorney's Office concerning the facts surrounding the case. It was decided that prosecution would not be pursued against Erica McGill, due to the nature of the situation and the hardship that has already been endured by Erica McGill and her family. McGill could have been charged with a 1 st degree misdemeanor for improper disposal of a human body. The Sheriff's Office has closed there investigation into this matter.

Press Release By:

Sgt. Scott Haines

Media Relations Unit

(850) 981-2136 or shaines@srso.net