Jennifer Nichole Baechle, 43, of Winona, Winona County, Minnesota, United States is a former resident of Arlington, Texas, USA; Belleville, Illinois, USA and West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. Winona is home to Cotter High School, Hope Lutheran High School and Winona State University.
Baby Angel
On September 5, 2011, a newborn girl was found deceased inside a bag on the river 7 miles south of Winona. Also in the bag were a pendant, incense and several angel figurines.
According to an autopsy, the baby was born a day or two before her death. The medical examiner found several fractures on the front and side of her skull.
Still attached to the baby’s body was 4 inches of her umbilical cord, which was not cut by a medical professional. Law enforcement officials in Winona County named her Baby Angel.
The identity of the baby remained a mystery until Firebird Forensics Group, a nonprofit organization that investigates genetic genealogy to identify suspects in violent crimes, was involved in the investigation. The organization is based in Carmel, California, USA, which is around 2,120 miles away from Winona.
Jennife Baechle
In 2011, Baechle was living in her van in Winona, according to her relatives. In August 2022, Winona State University hired her as an adjunct faculty member for intermittent instructional work in the university’s English department.
In March 2023, Firebird Forensics Group determined Baechle as the possible birth mother of Baby Angel, who was found dead on September 5, 2011. When asked to give a deoxyribonucleic acid sample voluntarily, the Winona State University teacher refused so investigators then searched her trash.
The investigators found a discarded female hygiene product and sent it for a DNA test, which determined that Baechle was the birth mother of Baby Angel. In March 2025, she turned 43.
After a judge signed a warrant for Baechle’s arrest, she turned herself in on April 24, 2025 along with her attorney. Later that day, she appeared in court and she was given a $200,000 unconditional bond and a $20,000 conditional bond.
As conditions of the bail, Baechle is required to wear a global positioning system monitoring device and prohibited from leaving Minnesota. She was charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter.
CONAN Daily 