A young woman’s decision to take a DNA test for fun unexpectedly connected her to an old murder case from 1997, which eventually led to her grandmother’s arrest.
Jenna Gerwatowski, 23, decided to try a FamilyTreeDNA test after a friend received it as a Christmas gift. While working at a flower shop in Newberry, Michigan, Jenna got a call from an unknown number. Although she usually ignores unknown calls, this time, she decided to answer.
On the other end was a detective from the Michigan State Police, who asked, “Have you heard of the Baby Garnet case?” The mention of the case quickly got Jenna’s attention because it was a well-known tragedy in her hometown. Back in 1997, a baby’s body was found in a pit toilet at the Garnet Lake Campground, and the case had gone cold because investigators couldn’t identify the baby or find any witnesses.
Almost 30 years later, detectives told Jenna that her DNA matched with a relative of Baby Garnet. As part of a new investigation started in 2017, forensic experts took DNA from Baby Garnet’s leg bone, hoping to find any family links.
When Jenna told her mother, Kara Gerwatowski, about the call, her mom was doubtful. Kara thought it might be a scam, especially since Jenna’s grandfather had recently been tricked by someone pretending to be a detective. Kara warned Jenna not to share any personal details or passwords.
Later that night, Jenna got another call from Misty Gillis, a forensic genealogist from Identifinders International. Gillis asked Jenna for her FamilyTreeDNA password so she could enter Jenna’s DNA data into a larger database. Thinking it was still a scam, Jenna refused and hung up, believing it was just another trick to fool people.
About a week later, while Jenna was working at the flower shop, her mom called in a panic. Her mom told her to come home immediately because there was an emergency. When Jenna arrived, she found her mother and cousin at the kitchen table, both looking worried.
The police had contacted Jenna’s cousin to explain the Baby Garnet case. Jenna said the room was filled with shock and silence, with her mother on the verge of tears and her cousin frozen in disbelief.
Court records revealed that Jenna’s DNA results showed she was a half-niece to Baby Garnet. Her mother, Kara, who agreed to give a DNA sample, was identified as Baby Garnet’s half-sister. Jenna explained, “That’s when everything started to make sense for her. She told detectives that if it was anyone, it would be her mother.”
Kara, 42, had not spoken to her mother, Nancy Gerwatowski, since she was 18, as they had a strained relationship. This also meant that Jenna had never met her grandmother. “I grew up knowing about the case my whole life, and then to find out it was my grandma that did it?” Jenna said.
She also stated:“It was a really tough time — very stressful and scary. I’ve never met this woman, so it was hard for me to even understand it, but it was even harder for my mom because that was her mother.”
The Michigan attorney general’s office claims that Nancy gave birth to the baby alone at her home in Newberry. They say the baby died from suffocation and that Nancy could have saved the child if she had called for medical help, but she didn’t.
Nancy’s defense team argues that she experienced complications during childbirth. They claim she gave birth unexpectedly while in the bath. They also say she tried to pull the baby out but passed out at some point during the process. When she finally delivered the baby, it was already dead, according to the defense.
Her lawyers also stated that Nancy had no access to a phone or a cell line in 1997 and was unable to call 911. Nancy admitted in her legal filings that she placed the baby’s body in a bag and left it at the campground. Her lawyers argue that she was in shock after giving birth without pain relief.
Nancy is now facing charges of open murder, which could lead to a life sentence, as well as charges of involuntary manslaughter and hiding a person’s death. On November 12, her defense lawyers argued that the state couldn’t prove the baby was born alive and, because of that, they believe the case should be dropped.
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If the case is allowed to move forward, Nancy’s defense wants her statements to the police to be thrown out. They claim she was not given the chance to have a lawyer present during the interrogation.
The prosecution argued that Nancy’s comments about thinking of having an abortion and not seeking prenatal care are important for understanding her possible motives.
Judge Brian D. Rahilly hopes to decide by the end of the year if the charges against Nancy will be dropped or not.
