Arrest Made in Minnesota’s Baby Angel 2011 Infant Death Case

Winona, MN (KROC-AM News)- An arrest has been made in a prominent Minnesota infant death case that dates back to 2011.

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“Baby Angel” was discovered floating in the Mississippi River about seven miles south of Winona by boaters in September of 2011. 

The newborn girl was inside of a bag that also contained a pendant, incense, and several angel figurines. 

The Winona County Sheriff’s Office has spent the years following the gruesome discovery trying to find the infant's biological mother. On Thursday, officials announced an arrest in the case, more than 13 years later. 

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Winona, MN Woman Arrested & Charged in Baby Angel Case

A criminal complaint filed in Winona County Court says an autopsy found the infant has suffered multiple skull fractures and brain bleeding. 

The medical examiner determined the infant suffered the injuries after birth and did not receive professional medical assistance during or immediately after being born, the charges say. 

10 years after the infant's death, detectives got help from Firebird Forensics Group, which is a non-profit that helps law enforcement identify human remains. 

In March of 2023, the group identified 45-year-old Jennifer Nichole Baechle of Winona as a possible lead. 

In May of 2023, deputies requested a DNA sample from Baechle. She said she would think about it and follow up with law enforcement.

In June of that year, Baechle said she needed to research the company. Detectives then received a letter from a criminal defense attorney that requested any further contact with Baechle be made through counsel, the complaint says. 

Investigators then searched Baechle’s trash and obtained a female hygiene product that was sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension lab for testing. 

The testing determined Baechle’s DNA matched Baby Angel’s, the complaint says. Law enforcement then obtained a search warrant in March of 2024 to collect a sample of Baechle’s DNA. 

A test of the sample obtained found “strong evidence” that Baechle was the biological mother of Baby Angel.

Her DNA was also found on the incense stick that was in the bag with the baby girl, the charges say. 

The criminal complaint says investigators learned Baechle was living in a van in Winona and that she would be gifted angel figurines at Christmas time. 

Baechle is charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter. She’s scheduled to make her first court appearance on Thursday morning.