Jennifer Matter charged with murder in death of baby found in Mississippi River

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In 2003, four teenage girls were driving along the Mississippi River. in southeast Minnesota when they spotted the baby on water edge. baby was dead – his umbilical cord is still attached and wrapped around his body.

Condition of in baby According to officials, he was strikingly familiar to local law enforcement. Four years ago another baby death stunned community in Goodhue County, Minnesota. About a dozen miles. northman found a baby girl wrapped in towel floats in Mississippi river. She was deader than the umbilical cord also still attached.

Investigators with county sheriff office confirmed in 2007 that the children were relatives, but 15 years old would pass before law enforcement found a person they said responsible.

On Monday, Goodhue County Sheriff Marty Kelly announced that genetic genealogy and rapid DNA analysis led them to the suspect – Jennifer Lynn Matter, who investigators said that mother of children. fifty-year-old Red Wing, Minnesota, inhabitant was arrested and charged with two bills of second-degree murder in in death of 2003 baby. She faces 40 years in prison for a charge.

No charges filed for in death of 1999 baby although they may be ‘changed or added at a later time as more evidence comes to lightGoodhue County Attorney Stephen O’Keeffe said. news conference on Monday.

It is unclear if Matter has a lawyer. In a statement to the police last week, Matter said she in a “bad mental condition” in 1999, heavy drinker, and “in and out of jail”, according to criminal a complaint.

BUT young girls murder remained unresolved for almost 58 years old. 20-year-old college student helped solve the case.

For many years the death of infants “haunted our communityand weighed on According to Kelly, law enforcement officials are working on the case. news conference.

“One of these little girls would be living their adult lives at 22 of age,” Kelly said. “Another boy, probably just graduated from high school with whole adult life ahead of his.”

Identification of The subject of suspicion is latest example of how genetic genealogy can promote or help solve decades of research. In February, investigators in Pennsylvania decided almost six-decade-old cold case declaring they’ve identified the man who kidnapped, raped and killed 9-year-Old Maryse Ann Civerella. He died in 1980. In March, law enforcement officers in Arizona used DNA analysis to identify remains of little girl found in desert in 1960 – Sharon Lee Gallegos, 4-year-old who was abducted by a couple next to her home in New Mexico. The police did not identify people responsible.

In the Minnesota case, the man was in his boat on Mississippi river along city of red wing on November 4, 1999, when he noticed a floating white towel. in water near boathouse. He thought he fell out of his boat and went over to get him, but when he grabbed a towel and held it up baby girl fell out. Autopsy report a few days after the incident found that “the baby was well developed term female with absence of congenital anomalies or obvious injuries, arrest order says. “… The coroner found that the method of death was a murder and what cause of death was indefinite.”

second baby was found near Lake Pepin on December 7, 2003 The autopsy report states that baby according to the warrant, “probably born alive”. He had a “dumb force head trauma, possibly associated with the birth process “and signs of bleeding in several parts of brain. coroner, who also performed an autopsy in 1999, came to the same conclusion – “that manner of death was a murder and what cause of death was indefinite.”

Since then investigators have pursued more than 70 possible genetic matches, who were each in the end found have nothing to do with children.

Sheriff in 2020 office collected thousands of dollars from community fund a partnership with Parabon NanoLabs, DNA technology and Genetic Genealogy Company. parabon soon identified possible family matches, which the researchers say led them to Matter.

Members of sheriff office and state bureau of Criminal Detention visited Matter on April 25, warrant says. During an interview, Matter allegedly said that she didn’t know something about 1999 baby and declined to give sample of her DNA. The investigators are back on May 2 with a search warrant to collect a sample.

Her DNA was then sent to a lab. in Saint Paul, about 50 miles north of county where DNA is fast technology used to define Matter as mother of both babies.

During the third visit on On May 5, Matter told investigators that she “did a lot of stupid things” in 1999, drank problem and “disorderly life”, warrant says. She supposedly added that she didn’t know she was pregnant and only realized that something was off when she started bleeding when she was driving her then-2- and 5-year-old children to kindergarten and school. When she got home she gave birth baby girl in her bathroom, according to the warrant.

“The material stated that baby born blue, didn’t breathe or cry, so she freaked out out”, the court documents say. “Materia stated that she knew that she should got help but that her mind was not there.

unidentified child found dead in The year 1960 was called “Little Miss Nobody”. Power now know her name.

Frightened, Matter turned baby in towel and began to “drink heavily,” she allegedly told investigators. Case took in baby to bay point park in red wing in middle of night, order says and left newborn in water near boathouse. The baby was found a few days later.

Initially denying knowing anything about the 2003 baby, Matter allegedly admitted to having given birth second baby on beach in Frontenac.

“She explained that she was ‘almost certain’ that she was on public the beach itself when she went into labor,” warrant says. “Materia said she didn’t remember if she wrapped second baby up in towel or blanket… [and] that she didn’t look to see the floor of child.”

baby was alive when she left This is on on the beach,” Matter allegedly told investigators, adding that she never had a plan for what will she do when she has baby. She said she expected someone who lived nearby would have found a baby so she didn’t call 911.

The case is holding in county jail and should in court on tuesday when there will be bail set.

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