Woman arrested in 2011 death of baby found in Mississippi River

WINONA Minn The biological mother of a dead newborn unveiled floating on the Mississippi River in is facing criminal charges Jennifer Nichole Baechle 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 The charges which were filed in Winona County District Court on Thursday revealed that law enforcement connected her DNA to the DNA samples collected from the objects exposed inside the bag The newborn was identified concealed in a white tote bag on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River on Sept by boaters The -pound baby was identified 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 locality Jennifer Nichole Baechle Courtesy of Winona County Sheriff s Office via Forum News Organization Six months after the discovery of the infant more than 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 in the present day 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 unveiled 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 practicable lead to a -year-old woman living in Winona in March the Post Bulletin previously announced Deputies searched the woman s trash According to the Minnesota BCA test a DNA sample from the trash shows the woman is a viable biological match with a blood sample taken from the infant In a search warrant filed in March 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 The results indicated there was strong evidence to advocacy the biological relationship between Baechle and the newborn the criminal complaint reported After receiving the DNA test results the sheriff s office spoke with members of Baechle s family who reported law enforcement they did not have personal contact with Baechle in When deputies displayed photos of the items revealed with the newborn in the white tote bag Baechle s family members straightaway recognized the blue pendant According to the complaint her family members also commented Baechle was gifted an angel ornament every Christmas Baechle collected the angel ornaments The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension BCA concluded on March 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 A press conference is scheduled for p m in Winona where personnel are expected to release more information about the episode More background on the affair An autopsy was conducted on Sept the day after the infant was exposed The health 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 explained it was not cut by a therapeutic provider The clinical examiner also discovered bleeding on the infant s brain and fractures on the front and side of her skull the complaint reported In an updated autopsy review revealed that the infant sustained injuries of the head while alive The injuries would not have occurred if a therapeutic professional had assisted with the birth The therapeutic examiner concluded it did not appear that the infant received diagnostic restoration during or after birth As the biological mother of the infant Defendant had a duty to seek anatomical care on behalf of the infant during pregnancy birth and straightaway after birth the complaint disclosed In after the forensics genealogy company provided law enforcement with a workable lead to Baechle deputies requested Baechle to provide a DNA sample Baechle petitioned 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 Related Articles Victimized once online they get hit again by FBI impersonators saying lost money can be returned Suburban Chicago man sentenced to life in prison without 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