MN woman linked to land where babies found

GRANITE FALLS, Minn. (AP) -- A Minnesota woman under investigation in connection with two newborns found dead in a South Dakota shelterbelt has family ties to the land and was pregnant in the past, according to court documents.

Authorities took DNA swabs on Aug. 13 from Kelly Jean Anderson, 34, of Clarkfield, formerly of Hendricks, to establish her as the mother, the search warrant and supporting affidavit filed Monday in Yellow Medicine County state. Anderson got married on the property near Astoria, S.D., owned by her aunt, has permission to use a cabin there and her brother found the babies Nov. 2, according to the filing.

Sioux Falls, S.D., TV stations and The West Central Tribune of Willmar, Minn., citing the documents, reported that several people told investigators Anderson was pregnant in 2009 and 2011 but was never seen later with babies. After being asked her the pregnancy, Anderson said she "had a tumor removed," "drank too much Coke" or had been sick and lost weight.

The exact cause of death of the baby boy and girl could not be determined, but the "manner of death" indicates it was homicide, according to the documents. A preliminary DNA analysis did not exclude Anderson as the mother.

The badly decomposed remains were found in a grove of trees, wrapped in towels and a South Dakota State University T-shirt and placed in a red and white Coleman cooler.

The documents detail that, in addition to the DNA swab, authorities sought photos of Anderson in a state of pregnancy between 2008 and 2011 and photos of her wearing a SDSU shirt.

Anderson has not been charged. She is in custody as part of a mental commitment civil case. The Associated Press could not determine if she has a lawyer.

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Information from: KMHL-AM