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Investigators May Have Break In 1991 'Baby Hope' Cold Case

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Police may have gotten a break in a decades old cold case.

Authorities have new leads in the 1991 "Baby Hope" case, CBS 2 reported.

The baby girl's decomposing body was found in a cooler in Washington Heights.

Investigators May Have Break In 1991 'Baby Hope' Cold Case

Police made a renewed push to track down information in the case over the summer after receiving a tip from a woman who may have known Baby Hope's sister, The New York Times reported.

The woman, who lives in Washington Heights, held on to the information for five years and went to police this past July, when the anniversary of the child's murder was publicized, WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reported.

The woman told police that she knew the child's family was from Mexico, Cornell reported.

Now, a source tells CBS 2 that the mother of Baby Hope has been identified.

The child was believed to be between 3 and 5 years old when her body was found in a wooded area near the Henry Hudson Parkway. Her body was apparently malnourished when it was discovered and she may have been the victim of sexual abuse according to a published report.

Baby Hope's body was exhumed in 2011 so the medical examiner could obtain a complete DNA profile, The Times reported.

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