Mom arrested more than decade after dead infant named ‘baby angel' was found floating in Mississippi River
A Minnesota woman has been charged in a more than decade-old cold case of a baby girl whose body was found floating down the Mississippi River.
DNA evidence now shows that Jennifer Nichole Baechle, 43, is the mother of the dead newborn, who was dubbed 'Baby Angel', according to investigators.
Boaters found the baby girl in the Mississippi River in Minnesota, seven miles south of Winona, 13 years ago.
The child's body was located in a bag with incense, a pendant and multiple angel figures in September 2011 over that Labor Day weekend.
One of the boaters tried to perform CPR on the child, according to News 8 Now, but it was clear the infant had died.
The angel figurines led authorities to give the child the 'Baby Angel' nickname. She was likely only a couple of days old.
A medical examiner found the infant had a four-inch section of her umbilical cord attached and 'several fractures on the front and side' of her skull, a criminal complaint stated. The child had sustained the injuries while she was alive, an autopsy conducted in 2024 found.
For years, officials didn't know what happened to the child or how she came to be in the river.
That was until DNA technology led investigators to Baechle in May 2023. Authorities had used DNA samples from the baby to help find possible relatives.
Officials later approached Baechle for a DNA sample and she retained an attorney. To confirm a DNA match, officers went through the woman's trash and sent samples to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
There, investigators determined the infant was the woman's biological child.
Relatives told police they immediately recognized the blue pendant found with the child and were certain it belonged to Baechle. The mother, they said, collected angels and bought an angel ornament each year for Christmas.
The relatives said they had not been in touch with the woman and stated she was living in a van in 2011.
After the DNA test results came back, authorities with the Winona County Sheriff's Office charged Baechle with two counts of manslaughter.
During a news conference Thursday, Sheriff Ron Ganrude said: 'For more than 13 years, Baby Angel's tragic death has weighed heavily on the Winona community.
'She deserved better than a watery grave. She deserved more than a life cut short. And while her birth mother remained hidden, this community wrapped its arms around this little girl."
Baechle appeared in court Thursday for her arraignment. She's given a $200,000 unconditional bond and a $20,000 conditional bond.
She had recently been hired to teach one class at Winona State University for the spring semester.
In a statement to the outlet, the university said another professor would be taking over.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dominion Post
4 hours ago
- Dominion Post
Biaforas, Lake Lynn Generation await judge's decision on next step in Cheat Lake drought lawsuit
dbeard@ MORGANTOWN – Both sides in the Biafora family business dispute with Lake Lynn Generation following last summer's drought await a federal judge's decision: whether the case might be dismissed, or remanded back to Monongalia County Circuit Court and continued there – or neither and simply continue in federal court. Judge Thomas Kleeh held a hearing on the conflicting motions in May in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia in Clarksburg, and both sides have now filed their briefs supporting their motions. Marina 1 LLC, a Biafora family company doing business as Cheat Lake Marina, wants the case sent back to county circuit court. Lake Lynn wants it kept in federal court and wants the case dismissed. Marina 1 filed suit Sept. 30, 2024, alleging that before the Labor Day weekend, Lake Lynn deliberately lowered the level of Cheat Lake below the 868-foot minimum in violation of its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license. This caused various damages, some of them irreparable. Marina 1 is seeking $50,000 compensation for property damages. As explained before, the summer drought put Lake Lynn in a trilemma – having to choose between three competing FERC license requirements: maintain the summer level of 868-870 feet; maintain a flow rate of 212 cubic feet per second (cfs) into the Cheat River, with an absolute minimum of 100 cfs; and maintain dissolved oxygen at 5 milligrams per liter for the aquatic life. Lake Lynn elected to prioritize complying with its license requirements to minimize adverse aquatic ecosystem impacts and lower the lake level to keep water flowing over the dam and maintain downstream oxygen levels. Marina 1 spells out its arguments in a 10-page brief. In making its choice, 'rather than providing Cheat Lake residents and businesses with notice … informing them to take precautions of the impending lower water level, defendant lowered the water level without prior notification or FERC approval (which itself would have provided notice).' This was an unreasonable action. While Lake Lynn violated its FERC license, Marina 1 alleges, the issue at question is a state tort law claim. 'The true issue here,' it alleges, 'is simply whether defendant acted reasonably in making the choice to rapidly lower the water level of Cheat Lake without prior notice and, if not, is Defendant liable for the damage that its decision caused under state tort law theories. This issue requires no federal analysis, interpretation, or dispute.' Lake Lynn filed its brief late last week. It counters that its FERC license, not state law, sets the standards of care for the operation of its license. 'FERC must be given the opportunity to assess if Lake Lynn's license was violated in the first place. … Plaintiff's claims must be dismissed to seek relief in FERC's administrative proceedings, and, if necessary, before the Fourth Circuit [Court of Appeals].' The company argues that having to decide between competing license requirements in the case of an emergency was anticipated in FERC's environmental impact statement, which notes that preserving minimum flows during a drought could lower reservoir (Cheat Lake) levels. The statement says, 'The primary adverse effect of such draw-downs would be on boating in the marinas.' Lake Lynn also noted that the case should remain in federal court because it deals with conflicting interests between two states: maintaining lake levels in West Virginia above the dam, versus downstream water flows in Pennsylvania below the dam. It says five factors must be weighed: prioritizing license requirements; balancing lake recreational use against the downstream ecosystem; weighing the impact of the 2024 drought; determining what constitutes an emergency justifying adjusting the lake levels; and determining if its FERC license was in fact violated. Kleeh did not set a date for issuing his order on the motions.
CBS News
11 hours ago
- CBS News
BCA investigating "death and a use-of-force incident" in Albert Lea
State officials say they are investigating "a death and a use-of-force incident" in southern Minnesota Wednesday morning. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced the investigation in rural Albert Lea just after 3 a.m., but gave no information about what agency used force, what type of force was used or who died. The agency said it would release more information, but gave no timeframe. Albert Lea is about 95 miles south of Minneapolis. This story will be updated.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
No unaccompanied minors, only clear bags at Naperville's Last Fling this year
No unaccompanied minors will be allowed at Naperville's Last Fling this year, per new security measures announced by organizers on social media. Put on by the Naperville Jaycees, the annual Labor Day celebration is scheduled for Aug. 29-Sept. 1. With less than three months to go, the nonprofit social service club announced in a Facebook post that the event will have more safety requirements than in previous years, some of which are being dictated by the city. Among them is a provision that attendees under the age of 18 be accompanied by someone over the age of 25. One guardian will be able to supervise up to five minors. They have also instituted a clear bag policy, meaning only see-through and small clutch bags will be permitted. Bag storage will not be available and anyone with unapproved items will be turned away, organizers say. Further, all patrons will be subject to metal detector screenings. The announcement of the additional measures come days after organizers of the city's annual India Day Festival & Concert said they would be scaling back festivities this year amid rising costs from city-mandated security requirements. Bolstering safety measures at the Last Fling will impact the Jaycees 'significantly,' said Karen Coleman, the event's public relations and marketing chair. But the additional measures are also necessary for putting on the safest event possible, she said. 'We just need everyone to understand how important safety is to us,' she said. 'We would be devastated if something untoward happened at our event.' Asked about the financial impact of the added measures, Coleman said they were still figuring out the total cost but estimated it will be 'in the tens of thousands of dollars.' The new requirement for minor supervision was born out of crowd control issues related to minors in past years, Coleman said. As was the case previously, Last Fling will again be surrounded by fencing with gated entrances, Coleman said. The event's current location is along Jackson Avenue from Ewing Street to Main Street. However, the layout of the grounds may be altered next year, she said. 'The city of Naperville wants us to change the footprint of the event,' she said. Last Fling could move away from Jackson Avenue and take place at the Naperville Riverwalk's Rotary Hill instead. At this point, it's a possibility but 'not a done deal,' City Clerk Dawn Portner said. Like it does with every event in town, the city's special events team will evaluate the lessons learned from this year's Last Fling once it's over to determine if any changes need to be made for future events, Portner said. 'I think (one) of the issues that we're concerned with is compression,' she said. '(Last Fling) is a great event. It's a well-attended event, and we want to make sure that everyone who goes is safe. And if there is an incident that happens, that police can get in there (and) the fire department can get in there. … That's the way we look at it. 'Does it need a bigger location? Does it need a new location? Will (that) help if we do have compression issues? And if we have anything that we need to be concerned with, can we do it better? Is there a reason to do it better?' In an interview last week, Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said additional security requirements at large-scale events in town are 'something we've been really pushing towards for the past few years and are finally getting traction (on).' 'Outdoor events are big, big targets for those looking to do bad things,' Arres said, 'and they're increasingly vulnerable to mass violence. … (These recommendations) keep these events safe and can actually deter threats before they occur.' Coleman said this year's Last Fling will still be the staple Labor Day celebration that attendees know and love — just safer. 'We're not trying to ruin anyone's great time or change the perspective of this awesome, end-of-summer event,' she said. 'We're super excited for the Fling this year.' Updates and more information about Last Fling, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, can be found at tkenny@
