The office of Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Friday that Sean Phillips has been charged with murder in the death of Katherine Phillips, who came to be known as Baby Kate in local media.
Schuette announced the charge at a midday press conference alongside Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola, saying the charge “moves us one step closer to securing justice for Baby Kate.”
Schuette added that new information was discovered that led prosecutors to the murder charge, but did not disclose what that evidence was.
“This continuing investigation has included review of biological evidence, site visits, and the enlistment of experts from all over the world who are preeminent in their fields,” Spaniola said.
The 23-year-old Phillips had already been convicted of unlawful imprisonment in the disappearance of Baby Kate and was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. The missing Michigan baby was last seen in the Ludnigton area, which is 80 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.
On Friday Phillips was arraigned via video conference, and does not yet have an attorney.
Prosecutors said the missing Michigan baby was taken from her mother because Sean Phillips feared that a paternity test would reveal him to be her father. Police found Phillips about three hours after the baby’s mother reported her missing, with a car seat and diaper bag in his car and the baby’s clothing stuffed into his pocket.
Investigators have still not found the body of the missing Michigan baby but said some forensic evidence found on Phillips after his arrest may lead them to it.
