Latest news with #WinonaCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
2 injured in 4-vehicle crash on Highway 61 in Winona
Jun. 5—WINONA — Two drivers were injured in a chain-reaction crash on Highway 61 in Winona on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. A 2018 Chevrolet Malibu was northbound on Highway 61 near the intersection with Highway 43 when it left the roadway, causing a chain reaction crash involving a 2019 Jeep Cherokee, a 2022 Honda Odyssey and a 2019 Ford Transit Van around 4:04 p.m., according to a Minnesota State Patrol crash report. The drivers of the Chevrolet Malibu, Caleb John Scharpf, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Jeep Cherokee, Wendy Ann Bublitz, 63, of Winona, were transported to Winona Health with non-life-threatening injuries. The drivers of the Honda Odyssey and Ford Transit Van were not injured, according to the report. The Winona County Sheriff's Office, Winona Police Department, Winona Fire Department and Winona Area Ambulance also responded to the scene.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Houston man injured in Highway 76 crash Sunday
May 5—WISCOY TOWNSHIP, Minn. — A Houston man was injured after a single-vehicle crash Sunday, May 4, 2025, in rural Winona County. A 2017 Buick Envision was northbound on Highway 76 near milepost 33 when it veered off the road, entered the ditch and struck a culvert around 3 p.m., according to a Minnesota State Patrol crash report. The driver, Travis James Frank, 31, of Houston, Minnesota, was transported to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse with non-life-threatening injuries. The Winona County Sheriff's Office, Houston Fire Department, Ridgeway Fire Department and Houston Ambulance also responded to the scene.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Winona woman arrested in 2011 death of 'Baby Angel'
Apr. 24—WINONA, Minn. — The biological mother of the dead newborn found floating on the Mississippi River in 2011 is facing criminal charges. Jennifer Nichole Baechle, 43, is facing two counts of second-degree manslaughter for allegedly placing her newborn in a white tote bag and sending it down the Mississippi River in 2011. The charges, which were filed in Winona County District Court on Thursday, April 24, revealed that law enforcement connected her DNA to the DNA samples collected from the objects found inside the bag. The newborn was found concealed in a white tote bag on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River on Sept. 5, 2011, by boaters. The 7-pound baby was found swaddled under a green T-shirt inside two plastic bags that also contained four small porcelain angels, a seeing eye bracelet and incense. The infant became known as "Baby Angel" in the Winona community. Six months after the discovery of the infant, more than 150 residents honored the newborn in Winona's St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Baby Angel was laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery, where her gravestone stands today. A community-wide effort in Winona funded the grave marker, and members of the sheriff's office often replace the flowers near her grave. Nearly a decade after the infant's death, Winona County deputies sought the assistance of a forensics genealogy company that has a history of helping law enforcement identify unidentified human remains. When Baby Angel was initially discovered, forensic genealogy was not well known. Law enforcement attempted to follow leads connected to the figurines found in the bag with the newborn, but none led to finding Baby Angel's parents. Firebird Forensics Group provided the Winona County Sheriff's Office with a possible lead to a 41-year-old woman living in Winona in March 2023, the Post Bulletin previously reported. Deputies searched the woman's trash. According to the Minnesota BCA test, a DNA sample from the trash shows the woman is a possible biological match with a blood sample taken from the infant. In a search warrant filed in March 2024 , investigators narrowed their search for the identity of the baby's mother. The sheriff's office was using the warrant to ask for permission to obtain a DNA sample directly from Baby Angel's suspected mother. Deputies submitted Baechle's DNA for testing around March 19, 2024. The results indicated there was strong evidence to support the biological relationship between Baechle and the newborn, the criminal complaint said. After receiving the DNA test results, the sheriff's office spoke with members of Baechle's family, who told law enforcement they did not have personal contact with Baechle in 2011. When deputies showed photos of the items found with the newborn in the white tote bag, Baechle's family members "immediately recognized" the blue pendant. According to the complaint, her family members also said Baechle was gifted an angel ornament every Christmas. Baechle collected the angel ornaments. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) concluded on March 17, 2025, that the DNA on the incense stick matches in the bag matched the DNA of Baechle. Her first appearance is scheduled for later Thursday, April 24. A press conference is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in Winona, where authorities are expected to release more information about the case. An autopsy was conducted on Sept. 6, 2011, the day after the infant was found. The medical examiner determined the infant was likely born within a day or two of her discovery. Part of the umbilical cord attached to the infant appeared to be cut by someone with a sharp-edged instrument. The complaint said it was not cut by a medical provider. The medical examiner also found bleeding on the infant's brain and fractures on the front and side of her skull, the complaint said. In 2024, an updated autopsy review revealed that the infant "sustained injuries of the head while alive." The injuries would not have occurred if a medical professional had assisted with the birth. The medical examiner concluded it did not appear that the infant received medical treatment during or after birth. "As the biological mother of the infant, Defendant had a duty to seek medical care on behalf of the infant during pregnancy, birth, and immediately after birth," the complaint said. In 2023, after the forensics genealogy company provided law enforcement with a possible lead to Baechle, deputies asked Baechle to provide a DNA sample. Baechle asked for more time to consider giving them a sample and to research Firebird Forensics Group. Soon after her second request for additional time, a criminal defense lawyer sent a letter to the sheriff's office requesting that any future contact with Baechle be made through the attorney. Check back later for more on this developing story.
