FRANKLIN — A cold case from 1994 that captured national attention was the focus of a significant update from Franklin Police on Monday.
The press conference took place at the gravesite of the infant known as Baby Hope, located in Greenlawn Cemetery, marking the first major update on the murder case in several years.
On April 13, 1994, two boys searching through a trash can in Temple Park in Franklin for aluminum cans stumbled upon the body of a newborn infant.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the baby had been stabbed to death shortly after her birth. The discovery shocked the Franklin community and raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the infant's death.
Franklin Police announced that after 31 years, they had identified the baby’s biological parents. The mother was identified as Cheryl Dawn Larson, and the father is Paul Shepherd, who cooperated with investigators.
During the investigation, Shepherd was given the opportunity to name the baby, choosing to name her Hope Shepherd.
He issued the following statement:
Paul Shepherd was shocked and grieved to learn that the child known as Hope was his child. Mr. Shepherd was completely unaware that a woman with whom he had a brief relationship was pregnant with his or anyone's child. He first became aware that the child was his after voluntarily providing a DNA sample to police. The shock of this revelation was overwhelming and continues to be so still today.
Mr. Shepherd continues to struggle with the grief which has exacerbated his health conditions and from which he can find no relief. The very thought that a child fathered by him was subjected to such evil is one he cannot escape from.
Please understand the anguish this causes him and his family and the pain any discussion of the matter brings. He has no answers which shed any light on the murder of his child and no relief from the grief he endures from the unknown. Please respect the privacy of he and his family it only brings them more suffering.
Unfortunately, Sheryl Larson passed away in 2018, preventing law enforcement from interviewing her to determine her involvement in the case. It was confirmed that her husband was not the biological father of Baby Hope.
As of the latest update, no criminal charges had been filed in connection with the case due to the circumstances.
Franklin police stated that they are unable to provide any further updates in the case; however, the investigation is not closed.
"I know these are not 100 percent the answers that we wanted, but we are here today with some closure for our community," said the Franklin Police Chief. 'As we continue to seek answers, just know we will not stop."
According to the Johnson County Coroner, this update means that all unidentified people in Johnson County are now identified.
