Baby Grace Timeline: “She Could Be From Anywhere In The World”

An Unofficial Timeline Of The Case Of Baby Grace

---October 29th, 2007
Green’s Cut, Galveston Bay, Texas

Image [Google Earth]

A man fishing in a remote area of Galveston’s West Bay known as Green’s Cut finds a plastic storage container on a marshy sand bar. Green’s Cut is located about five miles southwest of the Galveston Causeway. Investigators in the sheriff’s office look into the Bay’s tides to determine whether the container drifted from another location.

Inside the blue plastic Sterlite-brand model 1842 container, a little girl wrapped in plastic bags.

In an interview with Crime Library Texas Equusearch Case Manager Cindy Wisdom said that there was no water in the container, “only sand and grass.”

“We do not believe she is from our area, because no one local has reported a missing child matching this description," Cindy said. "She could be from anywhere in the world. There are ships that pass through here, so she could be from anywhere."

Source: CrimeLibrary: Texas EquuSearch Trying To Identify 'Baby Grace'

Galveston County officials put out an alert to participants in a fishing tournament held the prior weekend in an effort to find out whether any participants had seen anything unusual. Purportedly the tournament was a benefit to aid children.

---October 30th

Dubbed Baby Grace by Galveston investigators, more information was released to the media plus a plea to help solve the mystery of who the still yet unidentified little girl.

A preliminary autopsy report indicated one or more skull fractures, but further examination was needed to determine the time and cause of death.

“Baby Grace” was white and weighed between 25 and 30 pounds and stood about 32 to 35 inches tall. She had light brown or blonde hair that reached to the middle of her back.

Galveston County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Pustilnik said the little girl had been dead for at least two weeks, possibly more.

Source: Houston Chronicle - Investigators Seek Identity Of Girl Found In Storage Box

---November 1st - Police release a composite sketch of Baby Grace

Police release a photo of a pair of tennis shoes identical to the ones Baby Grace wore.Called the “Tiara” model, they are a children’s size 8 ½, white with purple trim and lights in the heels.

Source: ABC News - Baby Grace Sketch Released

---November 3rd

A forensic dentist determined that Baby Grace is between 2 and 3 years old. The Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the child had been dead for at least two weeks and suffered from a skull fracture.

Hundreds of tipsters from around the country contacted Galveston authorities with possible leads to help identify Baby Grace after sketches were released.

"We're sorting through a lot of leads," said Major Ray Tuttoilmondo with the Galveston County Sheriff's Office. "Nothing has hit a home run yet."

Tuttoilmondo added that several callers said they believe the child's body, which was discovered by a fisherman late Monday, may be that of Madeleine McCann, a 4-year-old British girl whose disappearance from a resort hotel in Portugal in May has made international headlines. In September, Portuguese police formally identified Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann as suspects in the case.

"Based on the totality of the circumstances, we do not believe it's her (Madeleine)," Tuttoilmondo said adding that the Sheriff's Office is also working with FBI authorities to completely rule out the possibility.

Source: Houston Chronicle - Baby Grace Investigators Get Hundreds Of Tips

---November 8th – Investigators look into three possible matches

Could these girls be Baby Grace?

By Sara McDonald
The Daily News

Published November 8, 2007
GALVESTON — Three little blonde girls with light-colored eyes from across the country have captured investigators’ attention.

They’ve all been reported missing in the past four months, seemingly abducted by noncustodial parents.

But most interesting to the investigators at the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office is that their height, age and weight are similar to the characteristics of the girl they’ve named Baby Grace, whose body washed ashore last week.

Source: Galveston County Daily News - Could These Girls Be Baby Grace?

---November 12 – CBS News Reports Hundreds of tips flood police, number of possible matches now up to “two dozen”

Investigators on Monday said at least two dozen girls reported missing from across the country match the physical description of the child investigators have named "Baby Grace."

Investigators were pursuing 170 active leads and on Monday were conducting follow-up interviews with people who had given promising clues, Galveston County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo said, according to the Galveston County Daily News.

Source: CBS News - Police "Flooded" With Baby Grace Tips

---November 13: Identity of "Baby Grace" Still a Mystery

In the two weeks since Baby Grace has been found, police have sifted through a mountain of phone calls, tips and information. They've been working diligently, trying to answer the question: Who is Baby Grace?

The case has sparked the interest of millions both around the Internet and around the world. Vigils have been held and money collected for rewards by volunteers.

Why is that? Why the interest in a unidentified body found in a remote Texas fishing area?

It may also have to do with the initial speculation that the body may have been that of Madeline McCann. Interest in the McCann case has been heavy in Europe, and particularly, the U.K.

Perhaps it's because some of those interested have a daughter or know a little girl down the street, or at church or in their neighborhood between the ages of 2-4. Next time they see that little girl, they may say a prayer that she's alive, standing in front of them; that she wasn't washed ashore in a cooler wrapped in plastic.

She could be any little girl, from anywhere in the world.

Whatever the reason, the identity of "Baby Grace" remains unknown. After two weeks of work, prayers and efforts, the only picture of her is a composite. That picture is how millions know her.

Until the mystery of her identity is solved, that picture will continue to haunt many who follow the case of "Baby Grace".

By LBG
[notes: Mondoreb]

MORE on BABY GRACE:
Baby Grace, Madeline McCann and the Lost Little Girls
Hundreds of Tips Flood Police
Baby Grace: Three Possible Matches Found
Baby Grace Not the Only Missing Little Girl
Is Baby Grace Madeline McCann? New Questions in the Investigation
The Heartbreaking Story of Baby Grace