Nearly five decades after the body of a newborn girl was discovered in a North Carolina landfill, investigators say they have finally identified the child’s mother — and made an arrest.

Authorities announced this week that Cathy McKee, 69, has been charged with concealing the birth of a child in connection with the case dating back to 1979. The development comes after advances in genetic genealogy allowed investigators to reexamine preserved evidence and generate new leads.

The infant’s body was found inside a trash bag at the Columbus County landfill on January 11, 1979. Despite an investigation at the time, the case eventually went cold, leaving unanswered questions about who the baby was and how she ended up discarded.

More than 45 years later, detectives reopened the file.

According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), law enforcement launched a renewed, systematic review of the evidence just over a year ago. Because key materials from the original case had been carefully preserved, modern DNA testing techniques — including genetic genealogy — were able to extract new information that wasn’t possible decades ago.

That process ultimately led investigators to McKee, whom they allege is the infant’s mother.

Officials have not disclosed how the baby died, and court documents do not provide additional details about the circumstances surrounding the child’s death. The charge filed — concealing the birth of a child — reflects allegations tied to the handling and reporting of the birth rather than a homicide charge.

McKee was arrested Tuesday. She was initially held on a $20,000 bond, which was later reduced to $5,000 during her first court appearance. She posted bond and waived her right to court-appointed counsel, according to local reports.

The case is the latest example of how cold cases are being revived through rapidly evolving DNA technology. Genetic genealogy — which compares crime scene DNA to publicly available ancestry databases to identify potential relatives — has played a growing role in solving long-dormant cases across the country.

For investigators in Columbus County, the breakthrough marks the end of a mystery that has lingered for nearly half a century.

Still, major questions remain, including the circumstances of the newborn’s death and whether additional charges could follow as the case proceeds through the courts.

For now, authorities say the arrest represents a significant step forward in a case that many once believed would never be solved.