PHOENIX — Arizona Crime Uncovered is an ABC15 series that works to bring awareness to victims who are still awaiting justice and provides an in-depth look at cases still unfolding.
Each episode of Arizona Crime Uncovered breaks down a timeline of the case, where it stands now, and if any help is needed from the community.
Our most recent episode follows the decades-old case of "Baby Skylar." The newborn was found dead in a Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport bathroom in 2005. It was a case that rocked the Valley, remaining cold for years until recently. Police announced the arrest of a woman from Washington state earlier this year. ABC15 is taking an in-depth look at how police tracked down 51-year-old Annie Anderson, where she was for the past two decades, and how her case in Arizona is playing out.
Arizona Crime Uncovered sat down with a former Phoenix cold case homicide detective, Troy Hillman, who pushed for justice in this case for years.
Hillman worked with Phoenix police as a cold case homicide detective, helping to solve cases like the high-profile "Canal Killer." His team also worked on the Baby Skylar case, reviewing it around 10 years after the infant was found at Sky Harbor.
"Shock and awe that someone would murder this helpless baby that had been just born into the world," Hillman said describing his thoughts while reading the case file for the first time.
On Oct. 10, 2005, a restroom in Terminal 4 became a crime scene. Hillman compared finding Baby Skylar to "divine intervention."
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"There was a, I believe... a gentleman in the airport that was missing his laptop," said Hillman.
He said an employee at the airport searched the trash trying to help.
"When the housekeeper basically pulled the trash can in the bag; and thought it was, well, 'this is really heavy,'" said Hillman. "And then when she explored, there was another white bag, and then she opened that up and found a deceased newborn."
ABC15 has footage from 2005 when police started their investigation at Sky Harbor. Our report states police were hopeful surveillance cameras, which were placed in undisclosed areas, would help find the person who left the baby behind. But Hillman said it turned out there wasn't footage to help the case.
His team followed any leads they could, but it would be about seven more years until a break in the case led investigators to Annie Anderson. The 51-year-old was living in Washington state when Phoenix police tracked her down.
It would still be more than a year until she was arrested and extradited to the Valley. This episode of Arizona Crime Uncovered follows that process and the information revealed along the way. As Anderson's case makes its way through the court, ABC15 has obtained new court records and video.
Watch part 1 of this Arizona Crime Uncovered episode in the player below. Tune in at 8:30 p.m. Friday on the ABC15 app on your streaming devices for the full episode.
Watch more episodes of Arizona Crime Uncovered in the player below:
