LAGRANGE, Ga. (AP) - A year after a baby's body was found inside a cooler on the side of a Georgia road, authorities believe they found the baby's mother.
Caroline Riley Propes, 19, of Newnan, was arrested Thursday and charged with second-degree murder, news outlets reported.
A newborn baby's body was found on Jan. 6, 2019, inside a zippered cooler with a watermelon print design. The cooler was found by a passerby in a remote area west of Troup County. Witnesses previously said the cooler had been sitting there for about a week.
Troup County Sheriff's Spokesman Sgt. Stewart Smith said earlier this week a genetic match was identified and DNA evidence showed Propes was the baby's biological mother.
On Friday, Sheriff James Woodruff said his department was determined to close the case. He thanked the investigative genetic genealogy companies that helped with the investigation.
Smith said a medical examiner could not determine the baby's cause of death. Further details surrounding the incident weren't immediately released but Smith said the department isn't investigating other suspects.
It's unclear whether Propes had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.