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4 Babies Were Found in Freezer in Home of Mom Who 'Concealed Pregnancies.' Why Weren't Charges Filed?
A medical examiner found the cause of death for the babies to be “undetermined," according to an April 30 press release from the Suffolk District Attorney's Office
By Nicole Acosta Updated on May 2, 2024 04:44PM EDT
A Massachusetts mother who was the owner of the Boston apartment where four babies were found in a freezer last November will not face criminal charges following an investigation, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced Tuesday, April 30.
In a press release, Hayden said he doesn’t believe a case against Alexis Aldamir, now 69, can be brought to trial due to several factors.
“This investigation, which is one of the most complex, unusual and perplexing that this office has ever encountered, is now complete. While we have some answers, there are many elements of this case that will likely never be answered,” Hayden stated.
“We will never know exactly where or when the four babies found in Alexis Aldamir’s apartment were born,” he added. “We will never know if the four babies were born alive, and we will never know exactly what happened to them. We will never know how Alexis Aldamir concealed her pregnancies, or why she chose to do so.”
On Nov. 17, 2022, police officers responded to a residence in South Boston after receiving a 911 call from Aldamir’s brother about a baby found in a freezer, authorities said. The caller explained that he and his wife made the discovery while cleaning out the apartment where his sister once lived.
That day, two male babies and two female babies, all of whom were siblings, were found “frozen solid,” authorities said. All were discovered in shoe boxes wrapped in tin foil and had their umbilical cords attached. The two females also had their placentas attached.
The medical examiner reported that there was no scientific method to determine how long the babies — who were described as full term — had been frozen, according to the release.
“The autopsy found no signs of internal or external trauma and no evidence of obvious injuries,” the release states. “There were no signs of food, or milk, or formula inside the babies’ stomachs.”
Additionally, the medical examiner found the cause of death for all the babies to be “undetermined,” and said that they could not definitively determine whether the babies had been born alive.
Investigators later learned that Aldamir owned and occupied the apartment after moving with her family from Maryland to Amherst in 1971, when she was almost 17 years old, authorities said. Records show Aldamir purchased the South Boston apartment in October 1983, and likely started living in the apartment as early as April 1982, per the release.
Aldamir was tracked down to a residential healthcare facility and ordered by the court to provide a DNA sample, which revealed she was the mother of all four babies, according to the investigators.
Authorities said Aldamir worked for an accounting firm in Boston from March 1980 to October 2021.
Her co-workers described her as “a heavy-set woman who had a penchant for wearing loose-fitting clothing regardless of the season,” the release states. “None of Aldamir’s co-workers knew her to be pregnant at any point.”
Additional DNA testing in June 2023 identified the likely father of the four babies as a man who died in 2011, according to the release. Investigators said he and Aldamir also shared a fifth child together that they placed for adoption. They added that Aldamir had given birth to a baby girl in 1982 but found no other birth records.
Authorities said that in late 2022, investigators visited the healthcare facility where Aldamir now lives and questioned her about the four babies found in her apartment.
“Throughout the interview Aldamir appeared confused and demonstrated a lack of understanding about where she was and who she was speaking to,” the release states. “As a result, she was unable to provide investigators with any significant information.”
“To further assess Aldamir’s cognitive ability, investigators reviewed publicly available probate court records and spoke with a lawyer for Aldamir. The information obtained suggests strongly that Aldamir would be unlikely to stand trial," the release adds.
Since investigators could not prove a crime had been committed, no charges will be filed.
“In this case, investigators cannot prove that the babies were ever alive and they have no cause or manner of death. Second, the autopsy found no signs of internal or external trauma to the babies and no evidence of obvious injuries. Third, as the father is now deceased, he cannot be charged with any crime.”
The Boston Police Department Homicide Unit and Crime Laboratory, the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Bode Technologies of Virginia (a DNA research firm) also assisted in the investigation led by the district attorney’s office.
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