What happened to ‘Baby June?’ 2018 cold case explored as Arya Singh is accused of fatally tossing child

An unidentified baby, nicknamed "Baby June," was found floating off the Florida Coast on June 1, 2018. An arrest was made in the case on Thursday and 29-year-old Arya Singh was taken into custody for killing the baby.

Trigger warning: This article contains details of infanticide and might be triggering for certain readers. Discretion is advised.

The case was considered a cold case and was pretty much discarded due to a lack of fruitful leads. The baby girl was found by a firefighter and was only four to seven days old at the time of her death. She was reportedly floating in the ocean for anywhere between 6 and 18 hours.

Officials from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the accused, Arya Singh, had allegedly confessed to the crime.

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Arya Singh is being charged with first-degree murder in the ‘Baby June’ case

On June 1, 2018, a Boynton Beach firefighter spotted a baby floating in the ocean, who he initially thought was a doll. The baby girl was reportedly a few days old and had been nicknamed "Baby June." According to authorities, the Cold Case Unit identified the baby’s father, who denied knowing anything about Baby June.

The father told the cops about a woman he was dating who got pregnant, and law enforcement officials discovered that the woman was Arya Singh. After she got pregnant, the woman apparently told the baby's father that she would "take care of it" and he assumed that she was referring to an abortion.

According to police reports, authorities collected a sample of Arya's DNA from some trash that she threw out, and began their investigation. Arya Singh, Baby June's mother, stated that she had no idea that she was pregnant until the baby girl was born. Arya also said that she had given birth in a hotel toilet, and thought that the baby was born dead.

Detective Brittany Christoffel said that Arya wasn't sure if the baby was alive when she was born and that by the time the baby went into the inlet, she was already dead.

Det. Christoffel continued:

“She said the baby landed in the water and then she went and she passed out. She didn't pick up the baby or check on her at all. She ended up leaving, going to school, and then going to the inlet later that night.”

The Florida woman reportedly put Baby June in a backpack and dumped her in the Boynton Beach Inlet that night. Christoffel confirmed that Arya confessed to doing the same. Authorities believe that Baby June was alive when she was thrown into the water by her mother.The 29-year-old is now charged with first-degree murder of the infant.

Detective Christoffel explains the case, (Image via Palm Beach County Sheriff)

Detective Christoffel said that when the baby was born, Arya wasn't sure if she was alive or dead. She also said that Arya didn't know what to do with Baby June and she still had the baby with her and Singh just decided that she was going to dispose the baby off in the water.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said,

“The baby’s body was found floating in the Boynton Beach inlet on June 1, 2018, after she had been disposed of like a piece of trash.”

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The detective mentioned that Baby June possibly died as soon as she went down the inlet

Palm Beach County Special Investigations Unit Captain Steven Strivelli stated in a press conference,

“It was four years ago that I stood in front of these same cameras and asked for the public’s support in trying to figure out what happened and who this unidentified child was. I’m very, very happy to announce that today, we have all those questions answered.”

Strivelli also mentioned that an award of $10,000 was announced for information providing any leads in the case of Baby June. Police claimed that they did not get any significant or useful tips even then.

Steven Strivelli further added that it seemed like they were heading towards a dead end. At this point, the case took a major turn when they found the baby’s father. Julie Sikorsky, the supervisor of the forensic biology unit of the Sheriff’s office, said that they rebuilt the family tree and identified the baby's close relatives before establishing a link to the suspect.

Law enforcement officials discovered that around 48 hours before throwing Baby June in the water, the Florida mother had visited the inlet. She was also aware of the fact that the baby was discovered.

In response to Arya’s actions, Detective Brittany Christoffel said that she never came forward in all four years.

Investigators discovered that Arya Singh was a security guard at Lynn University and had been working there since July 2021. However, a spokesperson for the University mentioned that they had terminated her employment.

According to the detective, the infant died as soon as she went down the inlet. The investigators interviewed many family members and friends and discovered that Arya Singh was solely responsible for the death of Baby June back in 2018.