Michigan State Police are investigating after a newborn baby was found dead inside a portable toilet at the Electric Forest music festival in Rothbury, Michigan, over the weekend. The infant appeared to have been born alive, authorities confirmed.
Discovery During Routine Maintenance
The body was discovered Sunday morning in the camping area of the festival, located about 35 kilometres north of Muskegon. A worker for the portable toilet vendor made the grim find while performing routine maintenance, police said on the social platform X.
According to NBC affiliate WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, a placenta and umbilical cord were also found inside the washroom, indicating the baby had been born there. An autopsy determined that the infant was breathing at birth, as fluid was found in the baby’s lungs and stomach, the outlet reported Wednesday.
Police Appeal for Information
“Investigators are asking for the public’s assistance,” Michigan State Police said in a statement. “If you were in the area and observed anything unusual or if you have information that you believe may be relevant, we encourage you to come forward.”
The investigation remains ongoing, police added. No suspects have been named, and officials have not released further details about the mother or circumstances surrounding the birth.
Festival Organizers Express Grief
Electric Forest organizers mourned the baby’s death in a Facebook post on Sunday evening. “Forest family, it causes us so much pain to have to share this difficult news with you,” the post read, adding that they were “heartbroken” after learning about the infant’s death.
Attendees also expressed shock. “Didn’t realize it was a newborn until the next morning when we saw the post,” said Haiden Sherman, a festivalgoer from Utah. “It was very sad.”
Economic Impact of the Festival
Rothbury Village president Mike Harris noted that the music festival generates about $48 million for the local community and that the contract had been extended for another 10 years. “That’s a lot of money to ignore,” Harris told WOOD-TV. “I know there’s a lot of things that happen at festivals and we feel bad about all of those, but we don’t really have any input. The festival handles everything and they handle it quite well.”
Electric Forest is a multi-genre music festival featuring electronic music and jam bands, drawing thousands of attendees each year.
