Remember me
A beloved teacher has been charged with murdering her newborn baby on a North Dakota college campus over four decades ago.
Nancy Trottier, 65, was arrested on April 7 and charged with the murder of her baby girl, named Rebecca by police, who was found on the Valley City State College campus in 1981.
Baby Rebecca was found with a plastic covering over her face, and her umbilical cord still attached, Valley News Live reported.
An autopsy determined the infant was alive at birth and died from acute asphyxia, consistent with suffocation.
The case went cold for decades until 2019, when investigators decided to take another look with DNA technology.
In August 2020, investigators received a genetic genealogy report that identified a possible relative match for Rebecca.
That led investigators to Trottier, who attended Valley City State College from 1978 to 1982.
During an October 2021 interview with police, Trottier allegedly said 'maybe it was me' and 'It could be, maybe it was me,' according to an affidavit obtained by the local news station.
Nancy Trottier, 65, a former teacher at the North Dakota School for the Deaf, has been charged with murdering her newborn baby on a college campus over four decades ago
Police say Trottier's baby, named Rebecca by police, was born alive and died from acute asphyxia, consistent with suffocation, in 1981
Police collected DNA samples from Trottier and her husband, who she was dating at the time, and testing determined they were the biological parents of Rebecca.
'The defendant's DNA was also confirmed to be present on items found at the location where the victim was located, including on a fingernail clipper and other items that contained human blood,' said Barnes County State's Attorney Tonya Duffy during Trottier's first court appearance, AZ Family reported.
Duffy also revealed that when Trottier was scheduled to meet with police to discuss the DNA results, she allegedly attempted suicide.
Trottier is being held at the Stutsman County Correctional Center on a $750,000 bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 21.
Valley City locals said the case of Baby Rebecca has haunted them for years, and they are ready for closure.
'I was a senior in high school when this happened at the college. Our family was involved in this; we had a funeral home in Valley City,' resident Lance Peterson told the local news station.
'It’s been a long, trying ordeal. She’s here now, we’re at the cemetery. Yeah, it’s good closure for Valley City.'
After allegedly murdering Rebecca, Trottier finished school and went out to have four more children with her husband.
After allegedly murdering Rebecca, Trottier finished school and went out to have four more children with her husband
Baby Rebecca was found with a plastic covering over her face, and her umbilical cord still attached
She also worked as a teacher at the North Dakota School for the Deaf for 41 years, retiring in 2024.
The school shared several images on social media over the years of Trottier working with disabled students, including reading to them, helping them learn braille and receiving awards.
After she retired, Trottier and her husband moved to Sun Lakes, Arizona, where she resided until her arrest.
The Daily Mail contacted the North Dakota School for the Deaf for comment.