Jennifer Baechle (Winona County Jail)
Multiple agencies investigated the baby’s death, but there were no major developments until 2023, when a nonprofit genetic research company identified Baechle as a possible lead in the case. Investigators requested a DNA sample from Baechle, but she declined through her attorneys.
Authorities then collected a used feminine hygiene product from trash outside Baechle’s home, according to a search warrant. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension determined the DNA collected from the trash sample could belong to Baby Angel’s biological mother, but additional testing was needed.
A year later, authorities collected Baechle’s DNA via search warrant and submitted it for testing, which found “very strong evidence” that she was Baby Angel’s mother, the complaint said.
Baechle’s family members said she was living in her van in Winona in 2011 and they did not have contact with her at the time, according to the complaint. They also said she collected angels and that a pendant found with the child’s body belonged to her.
DNA found on items in the bag with the baby also matched Baechle’s sample, the complaint states.
Baechle has been arrested and made her first court appearance Thursday morning.
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