The story of Kathryn Grant’s suicide has recently surfaced after it was revealed that she killed her newborn baby 27 years ago.
The infant, known as “Jonathan Foundling” by law enforcement, was discovered deceased in a bathroom in the basement of Oglethorpe House in 1996.
Approximately 200 individuals attended the funeral of the 8-pound baby.
For 25 years, the case remained unsolved until investigators utilized DNA genealogical testing to crack it in March 2021. It was determined that Kathryn had given birth to the infant boy and fatally stabbed him.
Kathryn Anne Grant, a UGA student, was residing at Oglethorpe House at the time of the crime. No records indicate Grant was interrogated regarding the baby’s death during the initial inquiry.
In June 2021, UGA detectives transferred blood samples from the infant and the mother’s placenta to a laboratory in Texas.
By September 2021, the lab had identified two individuals who could be related to the victim, one of whom was likely the father.
Both men were identified and discovered to have been enrolled at UGA when the murder occurred. Subsequently, the officers obtained a search warrant to procure their DNA.
On December 14, 2022, the man who was probably the biological father of the deceased newborn was interviewed and confirmed that he had engaged in a romantic relationship with a woman named Grant, whom he could only recall by her surname.
The detectives sought out a female student named Grant and ascertained that Kathryn was residing in room 301 of Oglethorpe House during the period of the murder.
However, it was reported that they also uncovered Kathryn Grant’s death notice, revealing that she passed away in Wilkes County in 2004.
The detectives scoured through Grant’s campus records and discovered that her academic performance began to decline when she became pregnant and gave birth to the infant.
UGA disclosed that the infant boy was Grant’s, and it was clarified that she was struggling with her mental health at the time of the tragedy.
Kathryn took her own life in Wilkes County in 2004 at the age of 29, eight years after ending her child’s life.
The case was closed after detectives pinpointed the woman who allegedly delivered the infant.
UGA police furnished documents to Athens Banner-Herald as part of a request for disclosure, indicating that they recently brought the case to a close.
