Police still searching for parents of infant found dead in recycling yard while funeral takes place

SIOUX FALLS, SD (KSFY/Gray News) – Police are still searching for the parents who left a dead toddler at a South Dakota recycling plant.

The baby, now known as Gabriel James Doe, was found on August 6 at the Millennium Recycling Center on East 50th Street North in Sioux Falls.

Employees found the dead baby and called 911.

Sioux Falls Police said the newborn was a full-term boy, but little else is known at this time.

Sioux Falls police said there was no new information on the case as of Monday.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, several organizations came together to hold memorial services for the baby.

Jessica Remme is founder and president of the Oaklyn Foundation, an organization that “supports families through all losses by providing the necessary support immediately after the loss and in the years that follow,” according to its website.

Remme named the baby Gabriel James Doe. She said she chose the name because Gabriel means “God is my strength” and James means “one who follows.”

Remme described the name as “beautiful, just perfect” for the baby.

“He needs a name on a stone in a cemetery where people can visit him. He was somebody,” Remme said.

The memorial services are a collaboration of several organizations, including the Oaklyn Foundation, Sioux Falls Police Department, Angel Lee Cronin, Kyle Quanbeck, Hills of Rest Cemetery, The Flower Mill, Leifstyle Baking, Dr. Kenneth Snell and his team, and volunteers from Avera McKennan.

“We will honor and celebrate Gabriel forever. He will not be alone,” said Remme.

The funeral service will be organized by Miller Funeral Home.

Funeral director Matthew Koball said the funeral home does not charge for burials of children ages 17 and younger.

“It was just incredible to see the Sioux Falls community come together to pay their respects, spend time and make sure he was properly buried and cared for,” Koball said.

The wake will be held Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time at the Miller Funeral Home and is open to the public.

The funeral will be held on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Southside Chapel of the Miller Funeral Home.

Following the funeral, baby Gabriel will be buried at Hills of Rest Cemetery in Sioux Falls.

“He will know he is loved, even if they are strangers,” Koball said.

Both Remme and Koball said they looked forward to carrying on Gabriel's legacy after his life was tragically cut short.

“It's really something beautiful that's come out of it,” Remme said. “If you don't want to go to the funeral home, keep praying for his family. Keep praying for his mother. She just needs some guidance and some prayers.”

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