A 45-year cold case in North Dakota has reached a turning point as authorities indicted Nancy Jean Trottier, 65, on charges of murdering her newborn—a victim named “Rebecca.”
Police determined the infant's body was discovered in 1981 on the campus of Valley City State University, approximately one hundred miles from Bismarck. When found, the baby was in a plastic bag with the umbilical cord still attached.
Autopsy results showed the child was born alive, with signs of death consistent with acute asphyxiation. The case file then fell into a decades-long deadlock, a situation similar to later incidents where a mother was indicted on first-degree charges thanks to advancements in modern investigative techniques.
The breakthrough came with the evolution of DNA technology. In 2019, authorities exhumed the remains for re-testing. By August 2020, genetic genealogy analysis helped narrow down the suspects, leading to Nancy Jean Trottier—who attended the school from 1978 to 1982. This is one of many heartbreaking cases occurring in educational environments, reminiscent of a case where a student was arrested after her newborn died at her residence.
During a 2021 interview, Trottier admitted her possible involvement, stating, “It could have been me.” She agreed to provide a DNA sample. Authorities also collected a sample from her husband.
Results released in June 2023 showed that the probability of the child being the biological offspring of Trottier and her husband was 3.481 quadrillion times higher than any other person. Additionally, the DNA sample matched traces found on paper seized from the scene in 1981.
Trottier was arrested on April 7, 2026, in Arizona and has appeared in court in Barnes County, North Dakota. She faces the most severe degree of murder under state law, which carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment without parole if convicted.
The indictment has brought the Valley City community's attention back to a case that had cast a shadow over the area for decades. Many residents have visited “Rebecca’s” grave since the progress in the case was announced.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 21, 2026.
