U.S. Attorney announces Wichita Falls murder cold case solved after 38 years

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - A 38-year-old murder case involving a newborn found dead in Wichita Falls has been solved after investigators used advancements in DNA technology and forensic genealogy to identify the woman responsible for the infant’s death.

The newborn, identified as Infant Male Doe, was found dead in a laundry bin at Pond’s Laundry in August 1988.

An autopsy determined the baby had been born alive and had been murdered. With no suspect identified, the case eventually went cold.

John Fine was still in training with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations when the infant was found.

“I was just in training and it was a way for me to start my career is to see something like this, which at some level I know motivated me throughout the years to always look back and look what’s possible,” Fine said.

The Air Force reopened the investigation in 2015.

Investigators eventually used advancements in DNA technology and forensic genealogy to make a major breakthrough.

In 2023, investigators identified the baby’s biological father. That discovery led investigators to military personnel records and eventually to Tammy Sue Kerns.

Investigators interviewed Kerns in May 2025, when she admitted to being the infant’s mother. She also confirmed that she went into labor while working a night shift at the U.S. Air Force Regional Hospital at Sheppard Air Force Base.

“She confessed to placing her hand over the newborn’s mouth until he stopped crying and breathing. She severed the umbilical cord, wrapped it around the child, placed him in the hospital linens, carried him to a laundry bin, cleaned the room, and then went back to work,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District Ryan Raybould said.

Kerns pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last week.

Fine said one of the most significant moments in the investigation came when he was able to tell the original case agent, Special Agent Peter Mackey, that the case had finally been solved.

Raybould said the case demonstrates investigators’ commitment to continuing to pursue cold cases, even decades after a crime occurs.

“Folks think that 5, 6, 7, 8 years passed and all of a sudden you’re good to go. We’re here to tell victims that we’ll continue to dig and dig and fight and fight,” Raybould said.

Fine said the case will remain particularly meaningful to him throughout his career.

“I think all cases are important; this one because of involving a baby and the fact of how long it took, but it is a special case and will have a special place in my career and my heart forever,” Fine said.

Kerns remains out of custody while she awaits sentencing on January 8. She could face up to 20 years in federal prison.