Baby Albion

On a Sunday afternoon, April 12, 2015, the caretaker for the Birch Hill Free Church of Scotland in Mount Albion, Prince Edward Island, made a heartbreaking discovery. On the church grounds, a newborn baby boy had been left, his brief life over before it had truly begun. The infant, a full-term male, was carefully swaddled in a towel and placed on a bench overlooking the small cemetery. Investigators with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), lacking a name for the child, respectfully called him Baby Albion.

The discovery sent a shockwave through the quiet rural community east of Charlottetown. The baby was wrapped in a distinctive towel, an image of which police later released to the public in the hopes it might generate leads. The towel featured an embroidered green frog. Investigators noted the manner in which the baby was left seemed to show a level of care; he was swaddled as a parent might wrap their child for sleep. Despite this, the case was immediately treated as a homicide, the most serious classification for a sudden and suspicious death.

The RCMP’s Major Crime Unit launched an extensive investigation. An autopsy was completed, but it brought more questions than answers. The examination revealed no signs of obvious trauma or physical injury to the infant, and experts were unable to determine a definitive cause of death. Police appealed to the public for help, specifically asking people to consider any woman they knew who had been pregnant but was suddenly no longer, and who did not have a baby in her care. "Please don’t make any assumptions," said RCMP Sgt. Leanne Butler in a public plea. "If you have any information on who the mother could possibly be, we need to know."

Over the years, investigators followed up on dozens of tips, but none led to the identification of Baby Albion or his parents. In an effort to trace his lineage, police employed advanced forensic techniques, including kinship DNA testing, but no matches were found. The lead investigator, RCMP Constable Shannon Hodder, acknowledged the immense frustration surrounding the case. "We were hoping to have this investigation solved within the first three days," he said two years after the discovery. "It's very frustrating, but we have to push forward and not lose sight of the ultimate goal."

While the police investigation continued, the community of Mount Albion embraced the child they never knew. On May 30, 2015, more than 100 people, including many RCMP officers invested in the case, gathered at the Birch Hill Free Church of Scotland for a dignified funeral service. Local businesses donated the funeral services and a headstone. Baby Albion was laid to rest in the church cemetery, near where he was found, under a marker that reads "SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS." The pastor spoke of the unknown mother, saying a prayer for her and the secret grief she carries.

As of the third anniversary in April 2018, the RCMP confirmed the investigation remained active and open. Key details, including the final cause of death, have been withheld to protect the integrity of the investigation. "It is somewhat frustrating but we are still very hopeful that at the end of the day, we will solve this matter," Const. Hodder stated. The mystery of who Baby Albion was and how he died continues to haunt the small Prince Edward Island community.

A reward of up to $2,000 is still offered for information that helps solve the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the P.E.I. RCMP Major Crime Unit at 902-368-9300 or to report anonymously through P.E.I. Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).