Jennifer Matter (Goodhue Co. Sheriff's Dept.)
RED WING, Minn. (KFGO WCCO) – A woman was arrested on Monday morning for the 1999 and 2003 deaths of two babies found in the Mississippi River in Goodhue County.
The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced Jennifer Lynn Matter, 50, was arrested at her home without incident and charged with second-degree murder in the December 2003 case where an infant boy was found at the Methodist Campus Beach in Frontenac.
Investigators said Rapid DNA Technology led them to Matter.
“The tenacity of several investigators in our office to obtain justice for these babies and the perseverance by our community who assisted us in finding answers have led us here today,” Goodhue County Sheriff Marty Kelly said. “We pray today’s arrest and charges provide some closure to all of those affected.”
According to the criminal complaint, a boater found the deceased infant female floating in the water while boating on November 4, 1999. The coroner determined that the manner of death was homicide and that the cause of death was undetermined.
Charges filed Monday were not related to the death of the infant girl, but authorities added that additional charges could be filed.
In 2003, a group of teenage girls discovered the deceased infant male. An autopsy determined the child was likely born alive and additional findings noted blunt force head injuries, possibly due to the birth process.
The boy’s death was also ruled a homicide.
The Minnesota BCA Crime Lab determined last year the identity of the biological father of the infant found in 1999. Investigators then worked to link Matter as a suspect.
“Genetic genealogy and Rapid DNA testing were both employed to develop a break in the case and then quickly confirm the identity of the babies’ mother,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said. “These kinds of scientific advances that can aid investigations are happening all the time. That is why it is so important to never give up on any unsolved case.”
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