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Woman Believed to Be Baby Angel's Mother Pleads Guilty to Interference with a Dead Body
Authorities say DNA linked Jennifer Nichole Baechle to the infant after 13 years, and prosecutors are seeking an aggravated sentence.
- On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, Jennifer Baechle pleaded guilty to interference with a dead body in Winona County Court, resulting in the dismissal of two second-degree manslaughter charges in the 2011 Baby Angel case.
- Boaters discovered the remains of an infant, dubbed 'Baby Angel', inside a bag containing a pendant, incense, and angel figurines in the Mississippi River about 7 miles south of Winona on September 5, 2011.
- A 15-year investigation aided by Firebird Forensics Group used DNA testing to link Baechle to the infant; a 2024 autopsy found the infant sustained head injuries, though medical examiners conceded difficulty determining the cause of death.
- Following the plea, Baechle received 40 hours of community service and two years of probation, with sentencing imposed immediately after her guilty plea in court.
- The incident inflicted lasting trauma on the community, which held a public burial for the infant; this conviction closes a case that remained cold for more than 13 years before DNA evidence emerged in 2024.
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Woman believed to be Baby Angel's mother pleads guilty to interference with a dead body
The woman believed to be the biological mother of "Baby Angel," a newborn found dead in the Mississippi River in southern Minnesota in 2011, pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor on Tuesday.
·United States
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Plea hearing scheduled for 'Baby Angel' defendant
WINONA, Minn. — A Winona woman accused of manslaughter in the death of a baby found in the Mississippi River in 2011 will appear for a plea hearing at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 6. The hearing notice was filed less than 24 hours ahead of the court date. Details of the plea hearing were not immediately available, as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. Jennifer Nichole Baechle, 43, faces two second-degree manslaughter charges in the death of the baby. Investigators all…
·Cherokee County, United States
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