Newborn found dead in porta-potty at music festival was born alive

UPDATE 7/4/2026: The baby found dead inside a porta-potty at a Michigan music festival on June 28 was born alive, according to an autopsy.

While no cause of death was released, fluid found inside the baby's lungs and stomach showed he or she was born breathing. Michigan State Police said that while the autopsy was complete, it was "unable to confirm the results because we have not yet received the official autopsy report."

Lt. Pat Agema said the baby's death has not been classified as a homicide.

7/1/2026: A newborn was found dead inside a portable bathroom at a music festival in Rothbury, Michigan. Police are seeking the public's help in gathering information.

Key Takeaways:

• On June 28, the body of a newborn baby with the placenta still attached was found in a portable toilet in a camping area at a Michigan music festival.

• It is yet undetermined whether the baby was born alive or stillborn.

• Police are asking for the public's assistance gathering information about the incident.

• Tragically, this is not the first time in 2026 that an infant has been found in a portable toilet.

The Details:

According to Michigan State Police, an employee of the portable toilet company found the baby in the porta-potty in the camping area of Electric Forest music festival in western Michigan on the morning of Sunday, June 28.

Police described the baby as a "neonate," meaning a newborn less than a month old. Several comments on X asked the police why they didn't just say "newborn" or "baby."

According to WOOD, it appeared the baby had been born at the festival as the placenta and umbilical cord were both in the portable toilet. It is yet undetermined if the baby was born alive or stillborn.

"Michigan State Police can confirm that the body of a neonate was found in a portable restroom in the camping area at the Electric Forest festival Sunday morning," police said on Facebook. "The body was discovered by an employee of the restroom vending company during routine maintenance. This is an ongoing investigation, and there is no further information to share at this time and there is no known threat to the public."

Investigation continues after newborn death at music festival

In a second post on X, state police said, "Investigators are asking for the public's assistance. 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. Anyone with information is asked to contact Michigan State Police @ http://michigan.gov/michtip. We appreciate the public's cooperation and ask that people avoid speculation on social media out of respect for the investigation and those affected."

As of Monday, police said they still do not have any leads.

According to News Channel 3, Public Information Officer Lt. Pat Agema said there will be an autopsy on the infant.

Festival Forest officials released a statement saying, "Forest Family, it causes us so much pain to have to share this difficult news with you. Michigan State Police continues to investigate this tragic event if you can assist in any way. HQ is heartbroken and knows that our Forest Family is as well."

The Bottom Line:

This is not the first time in 2026 that a baby has been found in a portable toilet.

In February, police found a deceased newborn baby girl in the holding tank of a portable bathroom at Burn Lake, New Mexico. An autopsy revealed the baby girl had been born alive, and had drowned in the blue liquid from the tank. A woman was arrested in connection to that death.

Tragedies like this have been seen more frequently, even in pro-abortion states like Michigan and New Mexico where abortion is completely legal. In addition, every state has a safe haven law. Michigan's version — the Safe Delivery of Newborns Law — allows a parent to legally and anonymously surrender an unharmed newborn up to 72 hours old to an on-duty employee at any hospital, police station, fire station, or directly to emergency medical personnel.