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The Winona County Attorney’s Office has filed charges against a Winona woman who authorities say is the mother of a baby found dead in the Mississippi River in 2011.

Jennifer Baechle, 43, is charged with second-degree manslaughter in Winona County District Court.

Law enforcement has been working on the case since the infant's body was discovered more than a decade ago.  They nicknamed the child “Baby Angel.”

Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude told reporters at a news conference Thursday that solving the case means a lot to Winona residents who've held vigils for the infant over the years.

"For more than 13 years Baby Angel's tragic death has weighed heavily on the hearts of the Winona community,” Ganrude said. “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 faces two years in prison if convicted. A judge set her parole at $200,000 or $20,000 if she agrees to conditions including wearing a monitor and staying in Minnesota.

Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman said investigators have been trying to solve the case since the body was discovered.  She said the defendant is married with two children.

Law enforcement solved the crime with the help of DNA analysis.

“Advances in investigative technique and in science are happening all of the time,” said Cathy Knutson, Deputy Superintendent of Forensic Science Services at the BCA. “That is why it is so important to never give up on any unsolved case.”

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Law enforcement has been working on the case since the infant's body was discovered more than a decade ago.  They nicknamed the child “Baby Angel.”


Winona woman charged in death of baby found in Mississippi River more than a decade ago

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