'She was discarded': Newborn baby found floating in pond was killed by her mother, authorities say

Background: Pine Island Pond in Manchester, New Hampshire (WMUR-TV/YouTube). Inset: Hepay Juma (Manchester Police Department).

A woman in New Hampshire is accused of killing her newborn baby, whose death was treated as "suspicious" after she was found floating in a pond.

Hepay Juma, 26, was arrested for reckless second-degree murder "for causing the death of Baby Jane 'Grace' Doe, her child, under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life," the New Hampshire Department of Justice announced on Thursday. The arrest comes nearly a year after the infant's body was found.

On March 27, 2025, a woman said she saw a body floating in Pine Island Pond in Manchester, New Hampshire, according to local ABC affiliate WMUR. The Manchester Police Department was contacted, and responding officers investigated.

Police noted that the child's death was "suspicious," and they reportedly determined that the body was placed in the water at some point between March 25 and March 27, 2025. However, they were unable to identify the baby, and for months, they asked for the public's help with the case.

In May 2025, a public funeral was held for the child victim, who has been referred to as "Grace" since her death. "The way she was discarded is heartbreaking, and it is important that we give her a proper farewell," Manchester Police Chief Peter Marr said at the time, per Boston-based CBS affiliate WBZ-TV.

The investigation continued, and police were able to identify those they believe were involved or related to the child. Though authorities have not released the baby's real name or cause of death, the girl's father was reportedly part of the investigation.

"We felt that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with an arrest for reckless second-degree murder," Senior Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Chong Yen told WMUR of the charge against the mother, adding that the baby was a newborn. "That means that this was a homicide, that Hepay Juma caused the death of Baby Doe."

Authorities said that the investigation is ongoing.