DNA Cracks 30-Year-Old Baby Murder Mystery

A newborn baby boy found dead in a Long Island movie theater toilet nearly 30 years ago may finally get justice after investigators used DNA evidence to crack a chilling cold case.

Michelle Chronick Tyson, 59, of Virginia, was indicted Thursday on two counts of second-degree murder in the November 1996 death of her newborn son.

The gruesome discovery was made around 12:30 a.m. on November 18, 1996, inside a women's bathroom at the Commack Multiplex, located at 100 Express Drive North.

The infant, identified as "Baby Boy Doe," was found inside a toilet. An autopsy determined he was born alive and full-term before dying from asphyxiation with submersion in water. His death was ruled a homicide.

For nearly three decades, the case remained unsolved.

Then came a DNA breakthrough.

In 2024, Suffolk County's Cold Case Task Force submitted a preserved blood sample from the infant to a private laboratory, which developed a DNA profile.

Investigators identified Tyson as the likely mother. A court-authorized cheek swab obtained in August 2026 confirmed the biological connection.

Tyson, who was 29 when the baby died, was arrested Tuesday in Hampton, Virginia, and extradited to Suffolk County.

"As alleged, this defendant made a choice back in 1996 to take her newborn child's life before he ever had the chance to experience the world beyond his first few breaths," District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.

Tyson was arraigned Thursday before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski and ordered held pending trial.

She faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top charge.

Her next court appearance is November 20.

The indictment marks a major breakthrough in a case that haunted Suffolk County investigators for three decades.

Tyson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.