Tragic Headlines (and a mystery)

UPDATE: Police Have ID'd Baby Grace

'Baby Grace' Sketch Released
Police Seeking Public Help in ID-ing Girl Found Dead by Fisherman Monday Night
By DAVID SCHOETZ Nov. 2, 2007

Authorities in Texas released a composite sketch of an unidentified child whose dead body was stuffed into a locked plastic container and found by a fisherman Monday night.

"Baby Grace," as authorities have named the girl, suffered fractures to her skull that initially may have caused her death. Police are treating the case like a homicide while pathologists at the Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office continue to analyze the body.

Results from various chemical tests may be required before an exact cause of death is determined. Because of the body's level of decomposition, investigators cannot specifically place the girl's date of death.

Authorities are trying to elevate the profile of the case -- an effort that has already resulted in hundreds of calls to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office. "We're getting loads of phone calls," Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo, a spokesman for the county sheriff's office, told ABC News. "We're keeping our fingers crossed one of those calls is going to be the right one."

Sheriff's officers describe Baby Grace as a white girl with blond hair between the ages of 2 and 3. She stood a little less than 3 feet tall and weighed about 30 pounds.

"For us, she is a whole lot more than an unidentified girl," Tuttoilmondo said. "She's somebody's child. Somebody's missing her." The name Grace, he said, was given to the girl to provide the public "a human factor for folks to identify with."

Authorities hope that someone will come forward with information that will allow them to stop using "Grace" in place of the girl's real name. They also want answers about how the girl died and what type of criminal charges should be pursued.

"This is a young person who has not received an appropriate burial," said Galveston Sheriff Gean Leonard. "We recognize that this death could be the result of an accident. One thing is that this is a young person who has not received an appropriate burial. Another thing is for someone to come forward and clear up the entire matter."

The girl's body was found inside a locked plastic Sterilite container, authorities said. She was wearing a pink pullover top, a "broom-style" skirt in a matching color made of seersucker material, and a pair of Velcro sneakers.

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