The State : Mother Faces Murder Count

A woman stands charged with murder in the death of her infant son 18 years ago in a case reopened by Petaluma police when the mother called to inquire about the investigation. Police said Gayle Stifle, 41, of Alexandria, Va., surrendered voluntarily and is free pending a Sept. 13 hearing in Santa Rosa Municipal Court on charges that she murdered her 7-week-old son, Blayne, on March 24, 1970, by intentionally scalding him during a bath. The case came back to the attention of police three years ago when Stifle inquired about the status of the investigation, saying she was worried that the matter could be used against her in a custody battle with her husband over their 5-year-old daughter. Police then set about relocating witnesses and consulting medical experts. They also employed sophisticated medical expertise not available in 1970, including a videotaped simulation of the incident using a doll. As a result, police said they now believe the infant’s burns could only have been intentionally inflicted.