Winona, Minnesota — Investigators in Winona believe they have solved a case that has touched Minnesotans’ hearts for nearly 14 years: the body of an infant discovered floating in the Mississippi River.
Jennifer Nichole Baechle, 43, was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter in the death of the child, according to Winona County Sheriff Ron Gandrude. The child was discovered in the river on September 5, 2011.
At a press conference Thursday, Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman told reporters that Baechle made her first court appearance late morning and had bail set at $200,000 with no conditions and $20,000 with conditions such as wearing a GPS monitor and agreeing not to leave the state. Sonneman told the judge that Baechle is not a threat to public safety, but is considered a flight risk because the presumptive sentence for second-degree manslaughter is 48 months.
On that fateful day, more than 13 years ago, Winona County deputies were dispatched to a location approximately seven miles south of Winona. Boaters on the river discovered a plastic bag containing the infant, a pendant, incense, and several angel figurines.
According to court documents, an autopsy on the newborn girl revealed that she was full-term and had most likely been delivered within a day or two of discovery. A four-inch section of umbilical cord that did not appear to have been cut by a medical provider, indicating that the child did not receive medical care before or after birth.
The medical examiner also found several fractures in the newborn’s skull and blood on the brain. An autopsy in 2024 concluded that the “normally developed term female infant sustained head injuries while alive.”
When investigators were unable to locate the infant’s mother, the case went cold. More than ten years after the baby was discovered in the river, the Winona County Sheriff’s Department hired Firebird Forensics Group to pursue genetic leads and find a suspect. Firebird used the infant’s DNA to identify potential relatives, and deputies then requested voluntary DNA samples from those individuals.
According to a criminal complaint filed against Baechle, investigators contacted her on or around May 24, 2023, and requested a DNA sample. She reportedly asked for time to think about it, and when contacted a few days later, she requested additional time to research Firebird Forensics Group. The sheriff’s office then received a letter from a criminal defense lawyer stating that all future contact with Baechle must go through her counsel.
Deputies conducted a “trash pull” from garbage left outside the defendant’s house for pickup, and discovered a feminine hygiene product that was tested in the BCA laboratory. It indicated that Jennifer Baechle could be the biological mother of the infant found in the river in 2011.
A warrant was then served on Baechle for a DNA sample, which revealed that genetic results obtained from the infant found in the river are 570,000 times more likely to occur in a biological child of the defendant than in someone unrelated to her.
The complaint says investigators spoke to family members of Baechle, who told them she was living in her van in the Winona area in 2011. Relatives were also shown items found in the bag with the child, and deputies say they immediately recognized the blue pendant as belonging to Baechle. Deputies were also told that Baechle collected angels, and that she was given an angel ornament every Christmas.
Court documents also say that DNA samples collected from the incense stick and a piece of paper found in the plastic bag that held the infant matched the samples from the defendant.
Sheriff Ganrude was clearly emotional about the day’s developments, describing how the community of Winona has heartfully embraced a child they would never know or see grow up.
“For more than 13 years, Baby Angel’s tragic death has weighed heavily on the hearts of the Winona community. She deserved better than a watery grave. She deserved more than a life cut short,” Ganrude reflected. “And while her birth mother remained hidden, this community wrapped its arms around this little girl. More than 150 people gathered to mourn our Baby Angel all those years ago, and ever since, they’ve waited in patience for answers that she deserved. We never gave up working to find those answers.”
County Attorney Sonneman told reporters it appears Baechle has been a resident of Winona since the baby’s death, adding that the defendant is married with two children.
Winona State University hired her as a part-time employee to teach one class this spring, however, school officials say another faculty member will take over the course.
“This has shocked the Winona State University community, and our hearts go out to those involved,” the university said in a statement.