Mummified U.S. infants linked to B.C. woman
Last Updated: Friday, September 3, 2010 | 9:22 PM PT
The Associated Press
This trunk, found in Los Angeles basement last month, was owned by a woman who lived in Vancouver. (Los Angeles Police Department) The investigation into the discovery of the mummified remains of two babies in Los Angeles has reached Vancouver.
Investigators have identified the owner of the trunk in which the remains were found as Janet M. Barrie.
They say she was a Scottish immigrant, born in 1897, who worked as a nurse in Los Angeles before moving to Vancouver, where she died in 1995.
The remains were found wrapped in sheets and nestled in doctor bags amid crumpled copies of 1930s newspapers.
The coroner's office can't determine how the babies died, why they were placed in the trunk or who put them there, police said.
Investigators with the coroner's office tracked down Barrie's nieces and nephews in Canada, but did not specify the part of the country in which they were found.
They say family members have agreed to submit DNA samples to see if they're related to the babies.
The abandoned trunk was found Aug. 17 by two women clearing out an apartment building basement.
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