Michigan State Police have declared the death of a newborn baby found dead in a portaloo at the Electric Forest festival a homicide. The cleaning crew discovered the infant during routine maintenance on Sunday morning in the festival's camping area. According to police, the placenta and umbilical cord were also present, indicating the baby was born inside the portaloo.
Autopsy Confirms Baby Was Born Alive
News 8 reported that the baby had been born alive and breathing, with fluid found in its lungs and stomach. Michigan State Police Lieutenant Pat Agema confirmed the death has been classified as a homicide. An autopsy was completed on Wednesday, but the official report is still pending.
Police Appeal for Information
Police have not yet identified anyone connected to the child. In a statement, they said: "The Michigan State Police continue to investigate the discovery of a deceased neonate found Sunday morning in the camping area at the Electric Forest Festival. Investigators are asking for the public's assistance. If you were in the area and observed anything unusual, or if you have information that you believe may be relevant, we encourage you to come forward." They urged the public to avoid speculation on social media out of respect for the investigation.
Festival Attendees React
One festival-goer posted on Reddit that they awoke Sunday morning to find police on the scene. They wrote: "This happened right by us at the Electric Avenue preset tents. We got up this morning to head out of the fest and there were about six-eight cops, four cop cars and a bunch of security/EF staff parked right around two cordoned off porta potties. We didn't know what was going on but figured something bad happened. But this is horrifying." Another user said they had seen the baby but thought it was a doll: "I went into the porta potty and was about to sit down but glimpsed what was apparently an infant's face. I was confused for a second, but honestly I thought it was a doll. People always bring weird stuff to festivals and it never occurred to me it was an actual body."
Festival Organisers Respond
Electric Forest issued a statement: "Forest Family, it causes us so much pain to have to share this difficult news with you. Michigan State Police continues to investigate this tragic event if you can assist in any way. HQ is heartbroken and knows that our Forest Family is as well." However, the festival later posted a message celebrating "another stunner," prompting backlash. One user said: "Crazy how the biggest headline of this place is about a dead baby in a porta potty yet you're like 'wow another great year,' shut this down forever." Others described the response as "tone deaf."
Other Incidents at the Festival
The event was also marred by a suicide and a car crash. Jerard 'Jay' Jackson, 28, was reported missing after leaving the festival Monday morning. His body was found Tuesday, and police said he had hung himself. Michigan Police also confirmed a car crash connected to the festival, with a third individual still unaccounted for.
