Boston prosecutors have opted against charging a woman for concealing four newborns in her freezer, citing her allegedly diminished cognitive ability.
A news release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced that “one of the most complex, unusual, and perplexing” cases it had ever fielded was closed without any charges filed.
On November 17, 2022, shortly after a guardian had been appointed for 69-year-old Alexis Aldamir due to her appearing to suffer from Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia, her brother found four babies frozen solid in the freezer of her home in South Boston. They had been wrapped in tin foil and placed in shoe boxes.
An investigation was launched into the grisly discovery, yet it yielded few answers.
“Nearly every investigative avenue led to difficulties resulting from elapsed time, the passing of individuals with potentially relevant information, and other logistical factors,” Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden explained.
The medical examiner turned up little information about the babies — two male and two female — apart from them having been full siblings and aged between 37 and 40 weeks. The causes and dates of their deaths were inconclusive, with all still having their umbilical cords attached and none showing any signs of trauma. None had been given milk or formula, making it unclear whether they had been stillborn.
Aldamir had given birth to a girl in April 1982, whom she surrendered for adoption. By that time, the Georgia native had been living in the South Boston home and working for an accounting firm, where she was employed until October 2021. Her former colleagues told investigators that they never knew about her pregnancies since she was a heavy woman who wore loose clothing.
As for anyone else who might shed light on the mystery, the man who officials believe likely fathered the babies died in 2011, and Aldamir was deemed by the DA to be too “confused” and unaware “about where she was and who she was speaking to” to “ethically move forward with a case” only to see her unable to stand trial.
“We will never know exactly where or when the four babies found in Alexis Aldamir’s apartment were born. We will never know if the four babies were born alive, and we will never know exactly what happened to them. We will never know how Alexis Aldamir concealed her pregnancies, or why she chose to do so,” Hayden said.
Competency to stand trial for criminal charges is a critical element in most jurisdictions, including Texas, according to the American Bar Association. If a defendant is unable to stand trial, they are often remitted to a state mental hospital for “restoration.” However, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s do not improve over time, which is why the authorities are often compelled to dismiss such cases.
