Overview

• The body of a 2-day-old infant, later named Baby Angel, was discovered by boaters in the Mississippi River near Winona, Minnesota, on September 5, 2011.
• Jennifer Nichole Baechle, 43, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter after DNA evidence identified her as the baby’s biological mother.
• The nonprofit Firebird Forensics Group utilized genealogical DNA technology to provide leads, which were corroborated by lab results showing a 570,000 times higher likelihood of Baechle being the mother.
• An updated 2024 autopsy confirmed the infant sustained skull fractures while alive and showed no evidence of medical intervention.
• Baechle was arrested and booked into the Winona County jail on April 24, 2025, marking a significant step in resolving the 14-year-old cold case.