Computer-generated sketch of Carl Matthew Bryant (inset) and photograph of the 1972 crime scene in Virginia. Images provided by Fairfax County Police Department. Read more Fairfax County Police Department

by Robert Moran Published Aug. 5, 2025, 7:59 p.m. ET

A 4-year-old Philadelphia boy whose unclothed body was discovered in a Virginia creek in 1972 has been identified, and police believe his mother and her then-boyfriend, a previously convicted murderer, were involved in the child’s death.

Carl Matthew Bryant was identified last month based on advanced DNA testing and forensic-grade genome sequencing, the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia announced at a news conference on Monday .

Before getting their DNA match, detectives suspected that the boy’s mother was Ve

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