Cold case detective recalls ‘Baby Skylar’ case that spanned decades

PHOENIX — The mystery of “Baby Skylar” spanned decades. The newborn was found dead in a bathroom at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in 2005. It was a case that shook the Valley and went cold for years, until police announced the arrest of Washington woman been earlier this year.

ABC15 takes an in-depth look at how police located 51-year-old Annie Anderson, where she has been for the past two decades, and how her legal case is unfolding in Arizona.

Arizona Crime Uncovered sat down with a former Phoenix cold case homicide detective who pushed for justice in this case for years.

Watch part 1 of this episode of Arizona Crime Uncovered in the player above. You can also watch the full episode now on the ABC15 app on your streaming devices.

NEWBORN FOUND IN SKY HARBOR

“Sky Harbor was busy,” Troy Hillman said. “I mean, it’s been growing by leaps and bounds every year, but it’s a very busy airport.”

Hillman previously worked with Phoenix police as a cold case homicide detective, helping solve cases such as the high-profile “channel killerHis team also worked on the Baby Skylar case, revisiting it about 10 years after the baby was found in Phoenix Sky Harbor.

“Shock and awe that someone would murder this defenseless baby that had just been born into the world,” Hillman said, describing reading the case file for the first time.

On October 10, 2005, a Terminal 4 bathroom became a crime scene. Hillman compared the moments that led to finding Baby Skylar to “divine intervention.”

“I think there was a gentleman at the airport who was missing his laptop,” Hillman said.

He said an airport employee searched through the trash trying to help.

“When the housekeeper basically put the trash can in the bag and thought it was, well, this is really heavy,” Hillman said. “And then when he explored, there was another white bag, and then he opened it and found a deceased newborn.”

ABC15 has footage from 2005 when police began their investigation at the airport. Our report indicates that police were hopeful that 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 were no images to help the case.

In the days and weeks that followed, the Valley supported the newborn and even held a funeral. A Phoenix detective gave the girl the name “Skylar.”

“We had successfully used genealogy in the channel murders, the Zombie Hunter case,” Hillman said. “But that was limited to the male DNA line, so we couldn’t use it in Baby Skylar’s case. So we went to a company called Parabon and what they were able to do was do phenotyping.”

The company developed a composite image of what Baby Skylar’s mother would look like at the age of 25.

“They actually gave a composite photograph of what they generated with a computer, of what the mother would have looked like,” Hillman said. “So our goal then was to get this out to the media, broadly. Because we believed that the mother, (the) suspect, boarded a plane at Sky Harbor and then flew to one of the states, possibly internationally.

Even after hotels were canvassed and Hillman’s team followed up on any potential leads, it would still be about seven years before there was a solution to the case.

Nearly two decades after Skylar was found, Phoenix police finally made an arrest.

ANNIE ANDERSON ARREST

In February 2024, police announced a major break in the case. Genetic genealogy research helped police and the FBI locate 51-year-old Annie Anderson.

“When confronted, Annie Anderson identified herself as the victim’s mother and provided an account of what occurred,” Lt. James Hester of the Phoenix Police Department said after the arrest. “Anderson was arrested for the death of Baby Skylar and is currently in Washington State awaiting extradition to Arizona.”

In February, officials did not say who helped provide the DNA sample that ultimately led to the break of the case. Police said at their news conference that Anderson had been visiting the Valley in 2005 for a real estate boot camp.

ABC15 asked Hillman what it was like to see an arrest made in the case.

“It was surprising, again, there wasn’t a family member who was really supportive of Baby Skylar,” Hillman said. “But we felt like we had helped. So it was a great day to do justice to that baby.”

ABC15 contacted Anderson’s Washington attorney, Rachel Stine-Sheridan, who submitted the following comment in the days following the arrest:

“Ms. Anderson will respond to these alleged charges in court and through the appropriate legal process. She is grateful for the support of her family and community and requests privacy on her behalf.”

But it would be months before Anderson arrived in Arizona. Snohomish County staff confirmed that the 51-year-old woman was fighting extradition. She appeared in court several times during this process.

ABC15 finally obtained the first photos of Anderson and learned more about the woman arrested for first-degree murder. Snohomish County also released body camera video of his arrest.

As for where Anderson had been for decades, loved ones told ABC15 that he had lived for many years in the Northwest, including having children and grandchildren.

The arresting officers asked Anderson at one point if he knew this was going to happen.

“In a roundabout way,” Anderson said.

Finally, an order from the governor was signed, and after months of waiting, Anderson was flown to Arizona in April. His arrival marked a new stage in the case.

ANDERSON ARRIVES IN AZ

In April 2024, Anderson heard the charges he faced at his first court appearance in Maricopa County. Days later, at his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty.

When the 51-year-old landed in Arizona, new court documents revealed new details about what she allegedly told police.

Police said they originally located Anderson in 2022, and that’s when Anderson allegedly told police she gave birth in her hotel bathtub. Court documents said she also claimed the baby was stillborn. Police said the information does not match the evidence and information from the medical examiner.

Another year passed until Anderson was detained in Washington in December 2023. Her arrest was not disclosed to the media until a few months later.

But with the arrest, the battle has now moved to the courtroom. New records filed by county prosecutors say police spoke with the baby’s father, who allegedly told investigators that Anderson claimed not to know she was pregnant with his child in 2004. ABC15 does not name the father, but those court records They say he told police that Anderson had been rushed to the hospital. She allegedly told police that she also did not know Anderson was pregnant with Baby Skylar in 2005.

Court documents also said Anderson admitted to taking the baby to Phoenix Sky Harbor in a backpack and “knowing he couldn’t get through security…” he put the baby in a bathroom trash can.

Those documents also say Anderson had financial and relationship problems and had several children to care for. Records alleged she knew Safe Haven laws at the time.

Safe shelter signs, often displayed at fire stations and other locations, Inform people that it is acceptable to leave a newborn without criminal prosecution.

ABC15 obtained footage from September when Anderson and his legal team fought to have his $1 million bail reduced.

“She is willing, if she has a passport, to hand it over to the court,” said Anderson’s attorney, Katie Gibson-McLean. “I don’t think there’s any indication, given his lack of criminal history or involvement with law enforcement or the criminal justice system, that he has any intention of fleeing anywhere.”

County prosecutors disagreed and asked the judge not to reduce the bail amount.

“The state’s concern here is to get the defendant back in court,” said Deputy County Attorney Shawn Steinburg. “We are asking that this bond remain in effect, because the seriousness of this fence and the sentence it carries is a strong incentive for someone who hid this crime for 18 years and has never lived in Arizona not to return to the Indique if she has been released.”

During oral arguments, both prosecutors and Anderson’s attorneys argued over the evidence in the case. In the end, the judge decided to reduce the bail to $200,000. If released, the court will require Anderson to remain in the state and have electronic monitoring.

Anderson’s trial was originally scheduled for next month, but has since been postponed until February 2025. His next court date is December 5, which will be virtual according to Maricopa County Superior Court staff.

ABC15 reached out to Anderson’s attorney for this story for several days by phone and email, but did not receive a response.

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