FBI Offering $15,000 Reward For Information About Body of Newborn Baby Found at Electric Forest Festival

Editor’s note: the following story contains details about the death of an infant that some readers might find disturbing.

Officials in Rothbury, Mich. continue to ask the public for any tips in the investigation into the newborn baby whose body was found in a portable toilet at the Electric Forest dance festival in Rothbury, Mich. on June 28, the final day of the event. Now, according to a tweet from the Michigan State Police, the FBI is involved in the case, with the feds offering a reward of up to $15,000 “for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual or individuals involved in the death of the infant.”

The body of the infant was reportedly discovered by an employee for the company that was cleaning the portable toilets in the Good Life camping area at the festival on the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury. While scant details have been announced so far about the cause of the infant’s death, their race, gender or health at the time they were found, on Monday (July 14), Michigan State Police said that “preliminary autopsy findings indicate the infant was viable and was born alive.”

No arrests have been made so far, and at press time investigators had not identified the parent or parents of the newborn. Last week, state police reported that investigators received a tip regarding a woman from Muskegon who attended the festival and was believed to have information relevant to the investigation. The unidentified woman was reportedly cooperative with officials during an interview, after which she was eliminated as a suspect in the case.

“The MSP remains committed to a thorough investigation of this incident. We are confident that continued investigative efforts, combined with forensic science, will ultimately lead to the identification of the person responsible,” read an X post from MSP on Monday announcing the FBI’s involvement. “There has been much speculation regarding the circumstances surrounding this incident. To protect the integrity of the investigation, we are unable to discuss many aspects of the evidence at this time.”

The statement added that despite no announced suspects, “Investigators believe there are individuals with important information relevant to this case who may be reluctant to come forward.” Officials once again asked anyone with information to report it to the MSP by submitting a tip here or by calling 1-855-MICH-TIP (1-855-642-4847).

The four-day electronic music gathering that drew 50,000 took place from June 25-28 and featured sets from Shpongle, Kaskade, Bob Moses, Excision, Eli Brown, Passion Pit, Griz and many more.