PHOENIX (Scripps News Phoenix/Court TV) — A woman accused in the death of a newborn whose body was found in a Phoenix airport bathroom trash bin has been released from jail. A reproductive rights group reportedly posted Annie Anderson’s $200,000 bond in December, but the news wasn’t announced until this week.
Annie Anderson, the woman accused of killing Baby Skylar, has been released from jail. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
Anderson, 51, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2005 death of the child who was given the name “Baby Skylar” by a Phoenix detective. The case remained a mystery for nearly 20 years.
There was no news in the cold case until February 2024, when police announced that they had arrested Anderson in Washington State.
Police had actually tracked Anderson down back in 2022, when they got their first major break in the case through investigative genetic genealogy. When they approached Anderson, she allegedly fessed up to having given birth in a hotel bathtub.
“When confronted, Annie Anderson identified herself as the mother of the victim and provided an account of what occurred,” said Lt. James Hester with the Phoenix Police Department after the arrest. “Anderson was arrested for the death of Baby Skylar and is currently in Washington state awaiting extradition to Arizona.”
According to court documents, Anderson claimed the baby was stillborn. But authorities said that information was inconsistent with evidence and information provided to them by the medical examiner. Court documents further stated that Anderson admitted to taking the baby to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in a backpack and “knowing she couldn’t go through security…” put the baby in a bathroom trash bin. Those documents also say Anderson was having relationship and financial issues and had multiple children to care for.
Anderson wasn’t placed under arrest until December 2023, but that news wasn’t made public until two months later. Anderson was extradited to Arizona, where she was arraigned in April 2024. She pleaded not guilty.
In December 2024, almost a year after her arrest, Anderson was released with electronic monitoring after a judge reduced her bond from $1 million to $200,000.
Anderson’s trial was supposed to begin in February but has now been pushed to June because, according to new court documents, a plea deal may be in the works.
According to new records filed by county prosecutors, police spoke with the baby’s biological father, who allegedly told investigators he didn’t know Anderson was pregnant with Baby Skylar in 2005.
Scripps News Phoenix, an E.W. Scripps Company, contributed to this report.
