A woman has been charged in the cold case of an infant found dead and floating in the Mississippi River 14 years ago after DNA testing revealed she was the mother of the newborn dubbed Baby Angel, according to officials.
Jennifer Nichole Baechle, 43, was charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter for the death of the newborn, who was found floating in a bag on Sept. 5, 2011, in a section of the river near Winona, Minnesota, officials there announced Thursday.
The newborn was wrapped in a green T-shirt, encased in two plastic garbage bags, and then placed inside a tote from a Mexican resort also containing a pendant, incense,and several angel figurines, leading to her being known as “Baby Angel,” a criminal complaint obtained by the Winona Post noted.
“While her birth mother remained hidden, this community wrapped its arms around this little girl,” Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude said at a Thursday press conference.
“Ever since, they’ve waited in patience for answers that she deserved. We never gave up working to find those answers.”
“She deserved better than a watery grave, she deserved more than a life cut short.” Ganrude said.
Baby Angel was born just a day or two before she died, a 2011 autopsy revealed.
A 4-inch cord was attached to the baby and did not appear to be cut by a medical provider — and she had suffered several skull fractures, the autopsy said.
Multiple agencies investigated the baby’s death, but there were no major developments until 2023, when a nonprofit genetic research company, Firebird Forensics Group, identified Baechle as a possible lead in the case.
Baechle denied police requests for a DNA sample — but authorities were able to collect a used feminine hygiene product from the trash outside her home.
The match was confirmed with additional testing a year later, with DNA found on the bag Baby Angel was found in also matching Baechles, the complaint said.
Baechle’s family said they did not have contact with her in 2011, and that she was living in a van — but knew she collected angel figurines and the pendant found with her baby, according to the document.
If convicted, she faces four years in prison, cops said.
She is currently held on an unconditional bail of $200,000 and a conditional bail of $20,000, pending her agreement not to leave the state and wear a GPS monitor after a judge determined her to be a flight risk.
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