(ABC 6 News) – A recent break in a nearly 30-year-old Iowa cold case brought attention to how the state’s safe haven law has changed over the years.

The case involves a newborn found in a garbage bag in 1996.

Because of advances in DNA, investigators have been able to identify the parents, finding out they were likely teenagers at the time of the baby’s death.

Currently, Iowa safe haven laws allow parents to leave an infant up to three months old at a health care facility or adoption service provider through a new born safety device, without getting in trouble for abandonment.

But that wasn’t always the case.

“You could do that, but you had to do it in person and you had to give your name, and information about the infant so that was a pretty big hurdle for people.” said Chief Steve Hergenreter of Fort Dodge Fire Department. “It’s an awful situation that they’re in and how they feel they don’t have things that they can turn to I guess. So this gives them another option.”

Iowa only has one safe haven baby box right now, located in Fort Dodge.

The 1996 case is still being investigated.