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NC couple charged 30 years after infant's remains found in trash in Nags Head

A North Carolina couple faces charges after DNA linked them to an infant whose remains were found in the trash in Nags Head 30 years ago, authorities said Monday.

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Scott Poole, Robin Byrum, Nags Head infant remains
NAGS HEAD, N.C. — A North Carolina couple faces charges after DNA linked them to an infant whose remains were found in the trash in Nags Head 30 years ago, authorities said Monday.

Scott Gordon Poole, 54, and his wife, Robin Lynn Byrum, 51, both of Taylorsville, were arrested last Thursday on charges of concealing the birth of a child. They remain in the Dare County jail under $250,000 bond each.

On April 4, 1991, human remains were found in a trash can rack on East Tides Drive in Nags Head. Police determined it was the body of an infant, but they were unable to determine the child's gender due to decomposition.

Investigators continued to work the case over the years, and they sent a bone in 2019 to a Texas lab that specializes in DNA analysis. The lab used the DNA to create a genealogical profile, which led to a family in North Carolina. That information then led to the arrests of Poole and Byrum.

“The tragedy of this child’s death and the manner in which his body was disposed of is compounded by the fact that, until now, no one has been found responsible for this incredibly heartbreaking act,” Nags Head Police Chief Phil Webster said in a statement. “But through the hard work of Nags Head Police investigators and our law enforcement partners in the case, those who did this will be held accountable for a death that has remained unsolved for three decades.”

Additional charges may be filed pending further investigation, authorities said.

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