Eva Hornsby

In May 1895, a railway guard reported he had seen a woman board the train with a baby but disembark without it. This happened within the train range of East Winton and police began their enquiries. This led police to a Mrs Hornsby who resided in Dunedin. She told police she had handed over her one-month-old grand-daughter with money to Minnie Dean at Milburn, four miles north of Milton. Police brought Mrs Hornsby to The Larches, Dean's residence. There she recognised not only Dean but a piece of baby's clothing belonging to her grandaughter. Dean was arrested and sent to Dunedin to await trial. Police searched the flowerbeds and found two babies bodies buried. The two bodies were identified as Eva Hornsby (Mrs Hornsby's grand-daughter) and Dorothy Edith Carter (handed over to Minnie by her grandmother).

At the inquest into the death of Eva Hornsby, medical experts described the two small deep bruises on the back of the baby‟s neck, which they found to be consistent with forceful asphyxiation.146 The pathologist, Doctor McLeod, speculated that such marks might result from the infant‟s head being pressed forcefully against a cloth and intentionally suffocated. Source: http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/7349/th...