Marshall County investigators are hoping forensic technology can unlock the identity of a deceased infant found wrapped in a housecoat inside a box in a trash dump back in 1982.

According to the sheriff’s office, the child’s remains were exhumed Thursday at Gunterville’s Crestview Cemetery in order to retrieve DNA samples.

The child’s body was discovered in February of 1982 in the Pleasant Grove community. According to investigators, the body of an apparent newborn, born at full-term, was found in a small lady’s housecoat, in a cardboard box left at the trash dump.

The body, which was never identified, was autopsied and buried in Guntersville under the name of Angel Jane Doe.

Investigators are hoping genetic genealogy testing can reveal the identity of the child’s family. The remains will be sent to Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for DNA retrieval.

Earlier this year, Marshall County investigators were able to use the technology to reveal the identity of a headless male body discovered back in 1997.

“This is a process that can take a few months to several years,” the department said in a statement. “At this point, our focus is on identification of the child and the family, as it would be a tremendous relief to not only local law enforcement, but the community as well.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Marshall County Sheriff’s Investigators at (256) 582-2034.