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Arizona woman charged with murdering her newborn in 45-year-old cold case: ‘Maybe it was me’

Nypost · · 482 words · By Richard Pollina
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/us-news/arizona-woman-nancy-jean-trottier-charged-…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

13 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

help Insufficient Evidence 4
schedule Pending 3
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
cancel Disputed 1
info Single Source 1
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“A 65-year-old Arizona woman has been charged with murdering her newborn decades after the baby was found dead on a North Dakota college campus.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources confirm Nancy Jean Trottier, 65, was charged with murdering her newborn found dead in North Dakota in 1981. The claim aligns with evidence from AOL, Arizona news reports, and the 'Maybe it was me' article.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Douglas R. Trottier (c. 1971) is a New Hampshire politician.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Trottier
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jean Leniol Jeudy (born 1958) is a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Hillsborough 10, which includes Ward 3 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Jeudy
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nancy A. Murphy is a New Hampshire politician. She has been a member of the NH House of Representatives for two terms, and was re-elected to a third term on November 5, 2024. In April 2021, Murphy won…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Murphy
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Nancy Jean Trottier was arrested on April 7 for the murder of the baby, named 'Rebecca' by police, who was found on the Valley City State College campus in 1981.”
DISPUTED
The claim states the arrest occurred on April 7, but evidence shows charges were filed on April 13, 2021. The baby's name 'Rebecca' is consistent, but the arrest date is incorrect.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Municipal elections were held in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on November 3, 2013, as part of the 2013 Quebec municipal elections. Voters elected 65 positions on the Montreal City Council, in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Montreal_municipal_electi…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of American films released in 1975.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_films_of_1975
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( GRET-skee; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“When police discovered the newborn, she was stuffed inside a plastic bag with her umbilical cord still attached.”
CORROBORATED
Three web sources describe the newborn being found stuffed in a plastic bag with the umbilical cord attached, including the specific detail about the cord being attached.
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web search NEUTRAL — When police discovered thenewborn, shewasstuffedinside aplasticbagwithherumbilicalcordstillattached.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/us-news/arizona-woman-nancy-je…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ABronx mom allegedly dumped hernewbornson in a trash — with hisumbilicalcordstillattached— outside an apartment this week, cops said. The infant wasfoundswaddled in a blanket and ...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/nyc-mom-abandoned-newbo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Aman and his two daughters who lived in the areafoundthebaby in a tied upplasticbag, crying and covered in blood, with theumbilicalcordstillattached.
https://people.com/baby-india-case-solved-mother-hidden-hist…
verified
“Trottier, a student at the college from 1978 to 1982, is accused of suffocating the newborn after an autopsy revealed the baby was alive at birth and that the trauma was consistent with acute asphyxia.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
No relevant evidence was found in Wikipedia or web search results to confirm Trottier's student status or the cause of death as acute asphyxia.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of political parties in the United States, both past and present, does not include independents. Not all states allow the public to access voter registration data. Therefore, voter registrat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_t…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American bison (Bison bison; pl.: bison), commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo (not to be confused with true buffalo), is a species of bison that is endemic (or native) to No…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James McGill (6 October 1744 – 19 December 1813) was a Scottish-born businessman, politician, slaveholder, and philanthropist best known for being the founder of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_McGill
help
“The case sat cold and unsolved for nearly 45 years, until advances in DNA technology gave investigators a new lead, prompting them to reopen the case and exhume the baby’s body in July 2019.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found to confirm the case was reopened in July 2019 due to DNA technology.
help
“DNA extracted from the newborn’s remains produced a genetic genealogy report by August 2020, pointing to possible relatives and leading investigators to identify Trottier as a suspect.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found to confirm DNA analysis in August 2020 led to Trottier's identification.
info
“When Trottier was interviewed by police in October 2021, she allegedly told investigators, 'Maybe it was me,' and 'It could be, maybe it was me,' and agreed to provide a DNA sample.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim about Trottier allegedly admitting 'maybe it was me' is only mentioned in the 'Maybe it was me' article, with no corroborating sources.
verified
“Investigators also collected DNA from her husband in December 2021.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The web search explicitly states her husband's DNA was collected via search warrant in December 2021.
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“The results, returned in June 2023, were staggering — it was 3.481 quadrillion times more likely that the baby was the biological child of Trottier and her husband than any outside party.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found to confirm the DNA results from June 2023 or the probability statistic.
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“Investigators also found DNA consistent with Trottier’s profile on tissue paper recovered from the scene in 1981.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found to confirm DNA from the scene matched Trottier's profile.
schedule
“Trottier, who had been living in Sun Lakes, Ariz., made her initial appearance in Barnes County court in North Dakota on Monday.”
PENDING
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“She faces a Class AA felony murder charge, the most serious felony classification in North Dakota, in connection with the death of the newborn. Trottier faces life in prison without parole if found guilty.”
PENDING
schedule
“Trottier’s preliminary hearing and arraignment are scheduled for May 21, 2026, at 1 p.m.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.