Allegedly Incestuous Cousins Buried Their Baby In Backyard After Killing Infant

A couple has been charged with first-degree murder after they allegedly killed their infant and buried the baby's remains in their backyard in Erwin, North Carolina.

Dustin James VanDyke, 28, and Gracie Kaylene Riddle, 18, cousins allegedly involved in an incestuous relationship, have both been charged with first-degree murder, after the remains of their newborn baby were found in their backyard in Erwin, North Carolina on Saturday, Aug. 20. Officers believe that the baby has been dead since Thanksgiving of 2021, the Daily Beast reported.

An investigation into the incident began last Friday at around 9 p.m. after police officers received a report from a tipster alerting that the couple's baby had died and that the death had never been reported. Following the tip, authorities brought cadaver dogs and searched the couple's property in Erwin, North Carolina, approximately 20 miles outside Fayetteville, and discovered the decomposed body on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Police officers did not publicly name the tipster. However, they said that the informant likely knew about the infant's death for several months, People reported.

"I think this person just finally got to the point to where their conscience got to [them] and they decided they needed to talk about it and tell someone and that's how we initially got the report," Erwin Chief of Police Jonathan Johnson said.

The precise age and gender of the child have not been publicly released. However, according to Johnson, the detectives believe the baby was killed in November 2021. Authorities are still working to determine if the baby was alive or dead when it was buried.

“Where the child was buried, there was a lawn mower that sat there for a long time,” one of VanDyke and Riddle’s neighbors said. “And it was a nice lawn mower, but it never moved. We just figured that something was wrong with it. And it was just sitting there. Now the lawn mower moved in the last month, so now this child is uncovered.”

The officers have not disclosed a motive in the case and are awaiting an autopsy report conducted by the Medical Examiner's office to determine the baby's cause of death.

VanDyke and Riddle remain detained without bond at the Harnett County Jail. They appeared in court on Monday, Aug. 22, and are due back in court on Sept. 6.